Overcoming Plateaus on LeetCode: Mindset Shifts to Problem Solving Progress

🚀 Staying consistent and sharpening problem-solving skills in my LeetCode journey. LeetCode Progress 12/50 — Minimum Absolute Difference I worked on a problem focused on sorting and identifying optimal pairs 🧩 💡 The challenge was to find all pairs of elements with the minimum absolute difference in a given array. 🧠 Approach: Sorted the array first, then traversed it to compute the difference between adjacent elements. Tracked the minimum difference and collected all pairs that matched this value. ⏱ Time Complexity: O(n log n) 💡 What I learned: This problem reinforced how sorting simplifies comparison-based problems and helps in efficiently identifying optimal results. 📈 Strengthening fundamentals in array manipulation and improving efficiency in handling comparisons. #LeetCode #DSA #ProblemSolving #Cpp #CodingJourney #Consistency 🚀

🚀 Day 56 of #100DaysOfCode Today’s problem was “Count and Say” from LeetCode, and honestly, it turned out to be a great exercise in understanding patterns and strengthening my fundamentals in strings and iteration. At first glance, the problem looks a bit confusing because of its recursive definition. But once I broke it down, I realized that it’s all about reading the previous result and constructing the next one using run-length encoding (RLE). 🧠 My Approach: I started with the base case: 👉 Count and say(1) = "1" Then for every next step, I: * Traversed the current string * Counted consecutive repeating characters * Built a new string by appending: (count + character) For example: * "1" → "11" (one 1) * "11" → "21" (two 1s) * "21" → "1211" (one 2, one 1) This step-by-step transformation helped me clearly understand how the sequence evolves. 💡 Key Learnings from Today: * Breaking complex problems into smaller steps makes them manageable * String traversal and careful indexing are very important * While loops can be more useful than for loops in pattern-based problems * Edge cases (like last character handling) need extra attention * Writing clean and readable code helps avoid logical mistakes ⚙️ Challenges I Faced: Initially, I struggled with managing the pointer while counting characters and ensuring I don’t skip any element. But after dry-running the code and visualizing the process, everything started making sense. 🔥 What I Improved Today: * Better understanding of pattern-based problems * More confidence in handling strings * Improved logical thinking and debugging skills ✨ This journey is teaching me that consistency beats perfection. Even if the problem feels tricky at first, spending time understanding it deeply always pays off. 📌 Every day I’m getting a little closer to becoming a better problem solver. Let’s keep going 💪 #Day56 #100DaysOfCode #LeetCode #DSA #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving #Cpp #LearnToCode #Consistency #GrowthMindset #Developers #TechJourney

400 down, many more to go. 📈 Reaching 400 problems on LeetCode has taught me that software engineering isn't just about writing code—it’s about how you approach a problem when you don't initially know the answer. The stats: ✅ 400 Total Solved ✅ 60.2% Acceptance Rate ✅ Beating 98.5% in consistency/speed The biggest takeaway? Discipline beats motivation every single time. #SoftwareDeveloper #TechMilestones #LeetCode #CodingCommunity #GrowthMindset

Most people see "500 LeetCode solved" and see a number. I see 500 times I choose not to give up. For a long time, I viewed coding challenges as a "test" I had to pass. If I couldn't solve a problem, I felt like a failure. But somewhere around the 200-question mark, something shifted. I stopped trying to be "smart" and started being "disciplined." This journey taught me three lessons that have nothing to do with syntax: 1. The Beauty of Being Wrong: Every "Wrong Answer" was just data. It wasn't a critique of my intelligence; it was a roadmap to a better solution. 2. The Power of Compounding: You don't become an engineer by solving one hard problem. You become one by solving "easy" problems until they become second nature, then moving the goalpost. 3. Resilience is a Muscle: The frustration of a bug is temporary. The pride of solving it is permanent. Reaching this milestone was a solo climb, but having a guiding light made all the difference in navigating the most complex peaks of this journey.A special thank you to Pragati Gupta Mam, Harshit Jain Sir, and Neeraj Kumar Bharti Sir for the constant support and direction throughout this journey. Your insights helped me turn the "grind" into a path of growth. Whether you are at problem #1 or #1000, remember: The goal isn't to solve the problem. The goal is to become the person who can solve it. #Leetcode #ProblemSolving #Coding #GalgotiasUniversity

🔥 Most people skip the “easy” problems… I don’t. 📅 Day 40 of my LeetCode streak ⚡ Total active days: 47 Today’s problem: LeetCode 1995 – Count Special Quadruplets At first glance, it looks simple. But the real game is in how you approach it. 💡 My Approach (Brute Force – but intentional): I used 4 nested loops to check every possible combination (a, b, c, d) such that: nums[a] + nums[b] + nums[c] == nums[d] Yes, it’s an O(n⁴) solution. Yes, it’s not optimal. But here’s the point most people miss 👇 👉 I intentionally start with brute force. Because: It builds clear understanding of constraints. It ensures correctness before optimization. It trains your brain to see patterns for improvement later. 🚀 Many jump directly to optimized solutions without understanding the base logic — and that’s where growth slows down. 💭 Next Step: This problem can definitely be optimized using hashing or better approaches. That’s where I’ll head next. 📌 Key takeaway: Don’t just chase optimization. First, master the logic. Then refine it. 🔗 Problem Link: https://lnkd.in/didArNbk Consistency > Perfection. #LeetCode #Day40 #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving #DSA #Algorithms #Programming #CodeNewbie #TechGrowth #InterviewPrep #LearningInPublic #Consistency #CPlusPlus

🚨 Hot take: I don’t like LeetCode. But I love problems. There’s a difference. LeetCode feels like doing push-ups in a burning building — technically good for you, but weirdly disconnected from reality. Give me a real production fire, messy legacy code, angry stakeholders, and a Slack channel on the verge of meltdown… and I’m in my element. First thing I do when I join a crisis meeting? Not panic. Not over-engineer. Not start debugging in front of 15 anxious people. I calm the room. Then I fix the damn thing quickly — ugly if needed — so everyone can breathe again. Only once the patient is stable do we go for the proper, clean, scalable fix. Because in the real world, speed of recovery > theoretical elegance (at least in the first 30 minutes). That’s why I’m far more passionate about open source than grinding LeetCode problems. Real problems, real users, real impact — and you get to ship fixes that actually matter. LeetCode prepares you for interviews. Real debugging in production prepares you for the job. And honestly? I’d rather solve problems that ship than problems that just get likes on LinkedIn. Wonder if anyone resonate with me? #SoftwareEngineering #ProblemSolving #OpenSource #TechLife #ProductionHell

The bug wasn’t in the code. It was in my thinking. 💡 Another Sunday, another LeetCode contest. I was doing well in the contest and reached 3rd problem with momentum and I got stuck. Instead of focusing on what the problem was actually asking, I started building complex logic in my head. Different cases. Multiple scenarios. Overthinking every possibility. Then the real intuition clicked: Just focus on neighboring elements that break the non-decreasing order and fix only those gaps. Simple. Clean. Effective. ⚡ Sometimes we assume a problem must be complex because it looks difficult. So we search for advanced solutions before understanding the fundamentals. That happens in engineering too: 👉 Overdesigned systems 👉 Unnecessary abstractions 👉 Solving edge cases before the core case 👉 Missing the obvious because we’re chasing the impressive When stuck, ask yourself: “Am I solving the real constraint… or the story I created around it?” That question can save time in contests, coding, and work. Today’s reminder for me: Complexity is sometimes self-inflicted. Simplicity is a skill. #LeetCode #ProblemSolving #SoftwareEngineering #Learning #CodingJourney #GrowthMindset #TechCareers

100 LeetCode Problems Won’t Change Your Life… But Finishing Them Will. Everyone talks about DSA. Everyone saves problem sheets. But the harsh truth? Most people quit before even reaching 20. I recently came across a structured “100 Must Do LeetCode Problems” roadmap—and it made me realize something powerful. It’s not about solving everything randomly. It’s about following a path that builds your thinking step by step. Arrays → Strings → Recursion → Graphs → Dynamic Programming This isn’t just coding. This is mental training. → You start seeing patterns faster → You stop fearing hard problems → You begin thinking like an engineer, not just a coder The gap between those who crack top companies and those who don’t is rarely intelligence. It’s consistency. Imagine solving just 3 problems a day. That’s 90 problems in a month. No shortcuts. No hacks. Just discipline. Because placements, opportunities, and confidence don’t come from watching tutorials. They come from showing up daily—even when it’s hard. Most people won’t complete this list. That’s exactly why you should. Start today. Stay consistent. Finish what others don’t. 💯Follow Himanshu Choure for more #LeetCode #DSA #CodingJourney #TechGrowth #SoftwareDeveloper #Placements #Consistency #ProblemSolving #Developers #GrowthMindset

Not all loops are written in code. Some are lived daily: Chai → Code → Chai Behind every product, feature, and deployment… there’s a simple system running in the background. Consistency. Iteration. Caffeine. The real developer workflow isn’t complex ; it’s just repeated well. . . . . . #techculture #webdevelopment #codingmemes #TechHumor #FunnyTechPost [Chai and code, Chai lovers, Chai, Memes for coders. developers memes, dev life, programmer life, build in public, startup life, developers of Instagram, coding community, hustle and build, averybit solutions ]

The power of vibe coding isn't that the bot does your code homework. It's that you finally have a tutor who never gets tired of your questions...but that means you have to actually learn. If you're building products, you must understand the systems you're engineering with. ...and if you're stacking up a massive backlog of vibe coded work from non-engineers waiting on dev review then you just 10x'd yourself in the wrong direction. #VibeCoding #SoftwareEngineering #ITInfrastructure