🦥Stop Copy-Pasting. Start Googling (the Right Way)

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How I Stopped Copy-Pasting and Actually Learned to Code

Confession time: I was a professional copy-paster.

No shame (well, maybe a little), but for the longest time, coding for me meant frantically googling error messages and slapping solutions into my editor, praying the red squiggly lines would magically vanish.

Sound familiar?

But one night, at approximately 2 AM—right about when every person decides they’ll become more productive—I hit a breaking point.

I pasted a piece of JavaScript into my project from Stack Overflow, and it WORKED. But when I stared at the screen, I realized…

I had no clue why it worked.

And let me tell you, friend, that’s scarier than a red squiggly.

The 'aha' moment that changed everything

I realized that being great at programming isn’t about how fast you can find the answer—it's about how quickly you can understand it.

That night, I committed to learning how to google and problem solve properly.

Here's what transformed my approach from desperate copy-pasting to actually understanding (and retaining) what I learned:

🔎 Search smarter, not harder:

Instead of just googling errors like:

Unhandled Runtime Error Error: Too many re-renders. React limits the number of renders to prevent an infinite loop.

I switched to specific, targeted questions like:

Now sometimes I would get the same results, but the difference is what I was looking for.

I wasn’t searching for code solutions, I was searching for explanations.

This subtle shift helped me understand how coding actually works.

The underrated power of the docs

When I stopped ignoring the official documentation (which, I'll admit, felt about as exciting as reading IKEA furniture manuals), I discovered something shocking:

Documentation is actually helpful! (wow no way…)

Don’t laugh. I know it’s obvious.

The React docs, Python docs, MDN—I started treating these as my first stop after Google pointed me in their direction.

Trust me, once you learn how to read it, docs become your best friend.

Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow isn't evil—it’s just misunderstood.

Instead of copying the first upvoted answer blindly, I forced myself to:

• Read multiple answers.

• Test each one (sometimes…)

• Understand why they worked (or didn't).

This habit turned copy-paste moments into genuine learning experiences.

My three-step 'smart Googling' strategy:

Here's a cheat sheet to turn every Google search into actual learning:

1. Understand the problem first (don’t just Google errors blindly).

2. Try to solve it yourself first (even if only briefly).

3. When Googling, always ask 'why', not just 'how'.

Sounds simple? It is. But it's shockingly powerful.

Well what about AI?

Well I basically just combine my methods for stack overflow and google.

1. Understand the problem first

2. Try to solve it yourself first (even if only briefly).

3. When asking, always ask 'why', not just 'how'.

4. Read the answers.

5. Test each one (sometimes…)

6. Understand why they worked (or didn't).

7. Repeat.

What if it’s a niche error that only 2 people have encountered?

Well… I hate to say it, but good luck buddy. You might have a long night ahead of you.

Takeaway

I still Google stuff or ask AI stuff every single day—literally nonstop—but now, every search makes me a better coder, not just a better copier. And yes, I still occasionally curse at 2 AM bugs, but now I know exactly why they're haunting me.

Keep it lazy (but smart),

Three-fingered Sloths have tails

Three-fingered sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long.

They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping.

However, Two-fingered sloths do not have a tail.

No responses since I got lazy last week and didn’t post a challenge, but this week is different!

Here’s todays challenge.

Hidden Calculator Words

At school, we used to play with our calculators and send each other secret messages. The trick was to enter a special number and turn the calculator upside-down.

Like saying hello, you’d type in the calculator 07734 and turn it upside down:

Given a number, create a function that converts it into a word by turning the integer 180 degrees around.

Examples

turnCalc(707)
output = "LOL"

turnCalc(5508)
output = "BOSS"

turnCalc(3045)
output = "SHOE"

turnCalc(07734)
output = "HELLO"

Notes

• Convert to uppercase words.

• Ignore dots.

How To Submit Answers

Reply with

• A link to your solution (github, twitter, personal blog, portfolio, replit, etc)

• or if you’re on the web version leave a comment!

• If you want to be mentioned here, I’d prefer if you sent a GitHub link or Replit!

Working on 2 videos…

Yep the usual.

That’s all from me!

Have a great week, be safe, make good choices, and have fun coding.

If I made a mistake or you have any questions, feel free to comment below or reply to the email!

See you all next week.

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