Doing is Better Than Reading or Watching

I got my first laptop when I started web development back in 2022. It had been a long time coming because, before then, I only knew what it felt like to learn on an old Intel HP desktop which was painfully slow, heavy, and always struggling to connect to the internet. Those were tough days, but they taught me patience. I can still remember how the system would freeze while I was watching a tutorial or running basic HTML code. But despite the frustration, I never gave up, NEVER!

Then came the moment that changed everything, my dad surprised me with a new laptop. That single act unlocked a new chapter in my life. I was beyond excited, not because it was just a laptop, but because it was the beginning of something bigger. It became the bridge between who I was and who I wanted to become.

With that laptop, I jumped straight into web development, learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The excitement was real. Every tag, every property, every console log felt like a step toward becoming a real developer. I followed tutorials day and night, and one person who made learning feel like fun was Dave Gray. His lessons weren’t just about coding but it does made me understand the “why” behind every line.

The dev community also played a huge part. I loved how developers supported one another, sharing ideas, open-source projects, and resources freely. It made me realize how powerful community learning can be.

Here’s an overview of the courses and tools I explored over time: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript, React.js, Python, Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. Each of these came with its own challenges, but I was always hungry to learn more.

Doing is Better Than Reading or Watching

The main lesson I’ve learned from all of this is simple but powerful, doing is better than reading or watching. You can spend hours reading articles or watching tutorials, but if you don’t put what you’ve learned into practice, it fades away fast. I realized that every time I built something, no matter how small. I understood the concept better and remembered it longer.

But I wasn’t always consistent. There were many times I just got stuck in my thoughts. I’d plan a big project in my head, picture how beautiful it would look, imagine the animations, the logic, the features and then stop there. I wouldn’t actually build it. I was overthinking everything instead of taking action.

And that’s one of the hardest truths about learning to code, your ideas don’t grow until you build them. I had to learn that lesson the hard way. For a while, I felt stuck, unproductive, and unsure of myself. But I decided to change things.

I started reaching out to experienced developers, asking questions, and listening to advice. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was:

“You can’t read your way into becoming a developer — you have to build your way into it.”

That quote stuck with me. So, in June 2022, I challenged myself to stop watching videos for a while and start doing. I built small JavaScript projects, a to-do app, a clock, a calculator, a quiz app, and more. They weren’t perfect, but they worked. Each project gave me a little more confidence, and before I knew it, I was learning faster than ever before. It was absolutely amazing.

There’s a kind of growth that only comes from doing. You can read 100 blog posts about React or watch 50 hours of Node.js tutorials, but one broken project that you fix by yourself will teach you more than all of that combined. The debugging, the late nights, the satisfaction when something finally works, those are the moments that shape you.

Slowly, I began to understand that progress matters more than perfection. Perfection is an illusion that stops you from starting. Progress, on the other hand, keeps you moving forward. Once I stopped chasing perfection, everything changed. I became more focused, more patient, and more consistent.

I also learned that fundamentals are everything. Whether it’s HTML, CSS, or JavaScript whatever, the basics never go out of style. Every complex framework or library you’ll ever use is built on top of fundamentals. Mastering the basics early gave me confidence to pick up anything new later on.

As time passed, I noticed how my mindset evolved. I no longer just built projects for fun, I started building with purpose. I began focusing on solving problems, improving user experience, and creating things people could actually use. That’s when I started feeling like a real developer.

Looking back, I smile when I remember those days of slow progress and countless bugs. Every struggle had meaning. Every project that failed taught me something new. Every “aha” moment made me fall in love with coding all over again.

Now, I tell every beginner who asks me for advice:

Don’t just read, Build.

Don’t just watch, Try.

Don’t wait for the right time, Start Now.

You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin. You just need the courage to take that first step. Even if your code breaks, even if your first project looks messy, do it anyway. Because one day, you’ll look back and realize how far you’ve come.

Today, I’m still learning, of course yet trying to stay away from bug, still experimenting, and still doing. Technology changes fast, but the spirit of doing stays the same. Whether I’m building something new, debugging old code, or learning a new framework, I always remind myself, the only real way to grow is by doing.

If you’re reading this and you’ve been watching tutorials for months without building anything, consider this your sign. Open your editor today, start small, and build something. It might not be perfect, but it’ll be progress and that’s what truly counts.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a great day ahead! Cheers 🥂