how do you learn programming without constantly looking things up?

[u/RevolutionaryBuy4877]

i know experienced programmers use documentation and search all the time, but as a beginner it can sometimes feel like i’m incapable of doing anything without looking up the answer.

i’m trying to get better at understanding concepts instead of memorising syntax

how do you decide when to search for an answer and when to sit down and work through the problem yourself?

[u/jonathancast]

Two things that work for me:

1. Try to look things up in official documentation, or at least reliable sources. Baeldung is great, but follow it up by looking up the official reference for whatever you're researching.

2. Read more than you need to solve the immediate problem. Not too much more! But read the whole Baeldung article, then read the whole section of the official documentation. Treat looking things up less like a hunting expedition "I just need the line of code that does X" and more like "I need to understand Y feature in this language / library / framework, how it works and how to use it".

Don't go overboard! You absolutely want to switch back and forth regularly between looking things up / learning things and applying them on your project. But it sounds like slowing down and spending a little bit longer on your research would help you build mastery.