I spent 40% of my coding time just searching for answers. Here's how I fixed that.

Let me paint you a picture of my typical debugging session last month:9:47 AM — Hit an error with async/await in Node.js
9:48 AM — Google: "async await not working node"
9:50 AM — Open 8 Stack Overflow tabs
9:55 AM — Read through answers from 2019, 2021, 2023 — all slightly different
10:05 AM — Try solution from top answer → doesn't work
10:10 AM — Try second answer → breaks something else
10:20 AM — End up on GitHub issues, MDN docs, random blog posts
10:35 AM — Finally piece together a solution from 3 different sources
10:40 AM — It works!Time spent coding: 5 minutes
Time spent searching: 48 minutesThis was my reality. I wasn't a bad developer — I was just spending most of my time being a "search engineer" instead of actually building.The Breaking PointI was working on a side project (a task management API) and decided to track my time for one week. Not to optimize anything — just to see where the hours were going.Results:
Total "coding" time: 22 hours
Actual writing/debugging code: 13 hours (59%)
Searching for solutions: 9 hours (41%)
Nine. Hours. Searching.That's more than a full workday spent just trying to find information I needed to continue coding.The worst part? Most of those searches ended with me piecing together answers from:

A Stack Overflow post from 2018
A GitHub issue comment
Someone's blog that may or may not be accurate
The official docs (which somehow made it MORE confusing)
What ChangedI made a rule: "I get 10 minutes to find an answer. After that, I move on or ask differently."No more 45-minute deep dives into Stack Overflow. No more opening 15 tabs "just in case." Get unstuck quickly, move forward.For that "get unstuck quickly" part, I started using Perplexity instead of Google.Why it made a difference:Most AI tools (like ChatGPT) will confidently give you code that looks right but doesn't work. I've been burned too many times.Perplexity is different — every answer comes with actual sources (Stack Overflow, official docs, GitHub, etc.) so you can verify if it's current and accurate.Example:Instead of Googling "how to handle rate limiting in express" and reading 10 articles, I'd ask:
"What's the best way to implement rate limiting in Express.js for a REST API?"
Response in 10 seconds with:

3 different approaches (express-rate-limit, rate-limiter-flexible, custom middleware)
Links to official docs and GitHub repos
Code examples with explanations
When to use each approach
I could verify the sources, pick the best solution for my use case, and keep coding.Real ImpactSecond week after changing my workflow:
Total "coding" time: 20 hours
Actual coding: 17 hours (85%)
Searching: 3 hours (15%)
I saved 6 hours. And that's just in one week.More importantly, I maintained flow state way longer. Instead of breaking focus every 20 minutes to search, I'd get unstuck in 2-3 minutes and keep building.My New Workflow1. Hit a problem/error

1. Read the error message carefully (sounds obvious, but I used to skip this)
2. Check if it's a typo/syntax issue (50% of the time it is lol)
3. If still stuck after 5 minutes: Ask ONE targeted question
4. Get answer + sources, verify it makes sense
5. Implement and move onBefore:

Error → Google → 10 tabs → 30 minutes later → maybe solved
Flow state: destroyed
After:

Error → Quick check → Targeted question → 3 minutes → solved
Flow state: maintained
The Side Project UpdateThat task management API I mentioned?Before: Was stuck at 40% done for 3 weeks because I kept getting derailed by research rabbit holes.After: Finished the remaining 60% in 6 days.Same skill level. Same complexity. The only difference was time spent actually building instead of searching.A Note on LearningSome people worry that getting quick answers means you're not "really learning."I disagree.Spending 45 minutes reading outdated Stack Overflow posts ≠ learning
Building more projects because you're not stuck searching ≠ shortcutsI've learned MORE in the past month because I've shipped more code. You learn by doing, not by reading 47 different opinions on how to structure your Express middleware.Technical Details (for those curious)There's a promo where you can get Perplexity Pro free through Comet browser:

Download Comet → sign in → ask one question → Pro unlocks
Link: https://pplx.ai/haseebarshad
Pro version is noticeably faster, which matters when you're trying to stay in flow.But real talk — the tool was maybe 30% of the improvement.The other 70% was changing my mindset:

Stop researching like I'm writing a dissertation
Get the answer, verify it, implement it, move on
Accept that "good enough to move forward" beats "perfect understanding before proceeding"
To My Fellow DevsIf you find yourself with 20+ tabs open, reading conflicting advice from 2019-2024, wondering which solution is "best" — you're not alone.But here's the thing: the code you don't write because you're stuck researching is infinitely worse than the code you write with a "good enough" solution.Ship more. Search less. Iterate as you learn.What's your flow-killer? Is it the search rabbit holes like me, or something else? Curious what breaks your focus most often.