🧠 What I Do When I Get Stuck (or Error) While Coding

Error

Hey everyone, today I want to share something all programmers experience:
Getting stuck while coding.

Whether you're a beginner or advanced, getting stuck or facing errors is totally normal. But how you handle it — that’s what matters.

Here’s what I personally do when I get stuck 👇

📑 Table of Contents

  1. 🧩 I Try to Understand the Problem First
  2. 🤖 I Ask AI for Help
  3. 🌐 I Search on Google (and Stack Overflow)
  4. 💬 I Ask the Community
  5. ☕ I Take a Break
  6. 🛠 Bonus Tip: Plan Your Project
  7. ✍️ Final Thoughts

1. 🧩 I Try to Understand the Problem First

The first thing I always do is stop and think:

Why is this happening? What exactly is causing the error?

If I can figure it out on my own, great! But if not, then I move to the next method.

2. 🤖 I Ask AI for Help

Now that tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or DeepSeek exist, they’ve become my second go-to option.

Usually, I copy my code, explain the issue clearly, and ask the AI to help me fix it. Most of the time, it works — but not always. If the answer is unclear or not helpful, I don’t waste time. I move on to step 3.

3. 🌐 I Search on Google (and Stack Overflow)

If AI can’t help me, I go old school:

I search the error or bug message on Google.

I usually find helpful answers on:

  • Stack Overflow
  • GitHub Issues
  • Developer blogs
  • Reddit, Medium, or Dev.to

These are real people sharing their real solutions — and they usually understand the issue better than AI. Actually, before AI was around, this was my first method. It still works great.

4. 💬 I Ask the Community

If I still can't fix it, I ask real developers.

I usually go to:

  • Discord programming servers
  • Online forums (like Dev.to or Reddit)

There are many kind developers out there who are willing to help — as long as you ask clearly and show what you’ve already tried.

5. ☕ I Take a Break

Sometimes, the problem isn’t your code — it’s your brain.

When I feel overwhelmed, I just take a rest. Walk away from the screen, do something else, or relax for a while.

Funny thing is, when I come back with a fresh mind:

  • I sometimes fix the problem myself.
  • I can write better prompts to ask AI.
  • Or I come up with better keywords to search online.

Rest really helps.

6. 🛠 Bonus Tip: Plan Your Project

Right now, I’m actually stuck on my own project 😅
And I realized… it’s because I didn’t plan it well before starting.

That’s why I think:

Always make a flow or roadmap before building a project.
It can really help reduce getting stuck later.

7. ✍️ Final Thoughts

These are just the methods I personally use when I get stuck. But everyone has their own way — and that's okay.

If you don’t have a method yet, feel free to try mine. Or create your own system that works best for you.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your coding! 💻
If you're stuck too — don’t worry. You’ll figure it out, one step at a time. ✨