Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48991346

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Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48980492

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I’d read the problem in one tab, think through an approach, then switch to another tab (ChatGPT, notes, docs) to sanity-check my thinking. By the time I came back, I’d already lost the context of the problem.

I tried a few things: - Writing notes in Notion - Copy-pasting problem text into ChatGPT - Keeping explanations in separate markdown files

None of them worked well. The friction of switching tabs was small, but constant — and it added up.

So I built a small side-panel tool that lives next to the LeetCode editor. It can: - See the problem context directly - Give hints instead of full solutions - Help me write structured study notes while I’m solving

I originally built this just for myself, but a few friends asked to try it, so I cleaned it up and released it as a browser extension.

I’m still unsure about a few things: - Whether this actually helps learning, or just feels more convenient - How people balance “getting unstuck” vs. not overusing hints - Whether interview prep tools should optimize for speed or understanding

Would love to hear how others here deal with context switching or learning while practicing.