Yes, so essentially I try a few things, I try to find a naive and simplest solution and not ever worry about optimizations. If I fail in that case I try to find a simpler variation of the problem and solve that, if not I keep reducing the problem down. If the problem is reduced down I can explain it to someone else and ask them. Then or from that reduced problem I try and figure out what class of problems it belongs to. If you get anxiety you should ask around, and do what you are doing ask the internet using concise language.
I feel like it can't be understated how amazing 'asking the internet' is today. I regularly post questions on repos or SO where the software creators directly answer, with their intent. We have countless means of interacting with the ones that create the tools we work with (including HN!).
I know that there's some hairiness around maintainer manners and the drama expected in any large enough group of people, but our ability to communicate with our peers is really advanced compared to other disciplines.
