I have a few words of wisdom I’d like to share.
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When asked to modify something, we so often get a suggested solution instead of a stated problem. Seek the goal; seek the “why”.
Often times what’s being asked isn’t what’s needed. And besides:- a goal statement invites everyone’s brainpower
- a suggested solution usually invites only (premature) critique
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When programming, resist the urge to “clean it up later”. Either avoid the situation in the first place or spend a little more time and do it now.
The task at hand will never be fresher in your mind, and “later” is likely to never come. Your future self and colleagues will thank you (or at least not curse you). -
Stuck on a problem? Drink some water, take a walk (outside if possible), and carry the problem lightly in your mind.
At least you’ll be refreshed, and the odds are better for having a eureka moment. 
Being frustrated and/or having hurry-brain hampers problem-solving skills.
Agreed. I’ve found a lot of value in getting fundamental exposure to a new tech without trying to remember it all, and reading a book is my preferred method.
Time and again, I’ve discovered that having this initial context has made life easier:
- finding additional information
- asking good questions
- discerning bad / outdated advice
For example, I think I would have had a much tougher time learning functional programming without reading a few books (okay, a lot of books) and gaining a foundation. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have appreciated how much of a paradigm shift the jump from imperative to pure FP really is (well, for me, that is). I might have ended up frustrating both myself and others by asking poor questions. (So now I ask slightly better questions and only frustrate others 
).