"YouTube Tutorials: My Toxic Relationship"
So the story begins like this:
You wake up one fine day and say:
“Today I will finally learn React / Node / Docker / Convex / Whatever.”
Motivation = 100%
Confidence = 200%
Brain = ready to absorb knowledge like a sponge 🧽
So naturally... you open YouTube.
And type with Olympic-level precision:
"BEST beginner tutorial for X (updated, no nonsense, practical)"
Because obviously, you deserve only the perfect one.
Not just any tutorial.
The perfect tutorial.
🎬 The Tutorial Rabbit Hole
You find one video.
Looks promising.
But then…
👉 You notice another video from a different creator.
👉 With better thumbnails.
👉 And more likes.
👉 And comments like: "Bro changed my life."
So you watch 3 minutes of the first tutorial…
then switch to the second.
Then a third.
Then a playlist titled:
"Learn X in 1 hour (2025) — no bs, full stack, deploy, free hosting, API, database, payment setup, and your life sorted."
Somewhere in this loop your brain whispers:
"Maybe I should learn this OTHER thing first… before learning the thing I actually wanted to learn."
And suddenly you're watching:
- Git basics
- CSS animations
- How to build an AI SaaS
- Someone unboxing a keyboard (???)
Time spent searching: 45 minutes
Time spent watching: 13 minutes
Time spent coding: 0 seconds
Productivity?
A cinematic masterpiece.
🤦 Why Do We Do This?
- We want the perfect starting point
- We are scared of choosing the wrong resource
- We think the tutorial will magically teach us everything
- And deep down… we hope learning can be done without struggling
Spoiler:
The perfect tutorial doesn’t exist.
But your progress does.
📌 Watching ≠ Learning
This one hurts a little:
Just because you watched a tutorial doesn’t mean you learned the skill.
Real learning starts when:
- You pause the video
- You type the code
- You break the code
- You fix the code
- You cry a little
- And eventually… it works 🎉
That moment teaches more than 20 videos ever will.
🧠 The Simple Fix
Here’s what helped me:
✨ Pick ONE tutorial
✨ Watch it actively
✨ Code along
✨ Build something yourself after finishing
✨ Resist the urge to hop to the next shiny video
You won’t feel ready.
Do it anyway.
Most devs build confidence after, not before, they start.
🧭 A Small Challenge for You
The next time you pick a tutorial, tell yourself:
“I will stick to one video until I finish it.”
Not perfect.
Not fastest.
Just one.
Because consistency beats perfection every time.
🎯 Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever spent more time searching tutorials than actually learning… congratulations.
You’re human.
And you’re definitely a developer.
Just remember:
Tutorials don’t make you better. Building does.
So close YouTube (after finishing this blog 😌), open your editor, and start.
You got this. 🚀
The story ends like all the relationship i never had:
Dear Tutorials: It’s Not You, It’s Me (Actually It’s You)
💬 Have you ever been stuck in the tutorial rabbit hole?
Share your story — let’s suffer and grow together. 😄
Top comments (2)
Passive consumption is just entertainment in disguise. The best way to learn is to watch a segment of the tutorial, pause, and try to write from memory what they said...and to write your own small pet projects.
Nobody really want to do that people are busy watching video where they can learn things faster 2X