How to say goodbye to distraction while watchings YouTube tutorials?
Posted by InstanceGloomy7656@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 5 comments
When I'm learning programming from YouTube, I keep doing this:
Open a React/Spring Boot/DSA tutorial Watch 10 minutes Click a recommended video Open 5 more tabs End up with 30 saved videos and no actual progress
The bigger issue is that I never have a structured place to keep:
the videos notes what I already finished where I got stuck
So I built a rough prototype for myself where I can:
Create a collection like "React Interview Prep" Add YouTube videos into it Watch them inside a distraction-free player Write notes for each video Continue from the exact point where I left off
Before I spend more time building it, I want to know if this is actually a problem other people have.
What currently breaks your focus most when learning from YouTube?
PoMoAnachro@reddit
Videos are as good for learning programming as watching football on TV is for learning to play football - if you're so incredibly new you need the very basics explained to you it could be good maybe, if you're super experienced you might learn something going over the tapes, but for anyone in-between it is recreation not learning.
Reading and writing docs and code is just inherently better for your brain. Distraction is easy when watching videos because you never get especially "locked in" in the first place - people experience the opposite of flow state when watching videos, they just tune out.
bird_feeder_bird@reddit
When you feel the urge to chase a distraction, instead of chasing it, just remember that you are doing a very good thing by accepting the challenge and trying to focus regardless. If you’ve ever felt proud for doing a physical workout, you should feel proud for training your prefrontal cortex too.
ResponsiblePlum5031@reddit
thats actually good way to think about it like mental training. i always get distracted when learning react because youtube keeps showing me "10 minute projects" or some clickbait about new framework and suddenly im watching random stuff instead of finishing what i started
your prototype idea seems useful though, i usually just bookmark everything and never look at bookmarks again
Nok1a_@reddit
Because you dont learn watching videos, you learn reading and writing
iamnull@reddit
I can completely understand that. A lot of cert courses are video format, and I despise it. I instantly put it on 1.5x or 2x speed. If there's written material, I will take that any day of the week with music in the background to help focus and satisfy the distraction gremlin. Worst case, I put a TV show I've seen a dozen times on my second monitor.
Imho, videos are just awful for learning. Navigating back is a pain, and you can't copy/paste anything. Links are rarely directly there for you to click. I can't put a video on my vertical monitor for easier reading either. Also, I don't think it translates well to actual work on a project, as you'll spend a lot of time reading documentation, code, or requirements, not videos on them.
I'm sure something like that would help, but it's worth mentioning that you have to develop willpower at some point. There will be whole stretches of any programming project, even hobby projects, where you actively dislike working on it. Sometimes, you just have to use whatever technique works for you for focus and get down to business, even if you don't want to. If you can't do that, things never get finished.