"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 (1)
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.