Coding Efficiency in 2025: simple hacks for Indie Hackers

In this post, I'll share some hacks that helped me speed up my productivity in developing a SaaS I recently sold. For full details check out the detailed video.

Key tips

Screenshot and analyze errors:

Noob level: When you encounter a bug, take a screenshot and feed it to your AI assistant. Ask "Why am I getting this?" to get quick insights into the problem

Intermediate dev: Treat AI like a colleague: If the initial solution doesn't work, continue the conversation with your AI assistant, just as you would with a human colleague.

10 Engineer: Enhancing Learning and Retention

To truly benefit from AI assistance, it's crucial to understand and retain the solutions.

Create custom text replacements: Set up shortcuts like "eli5" and "eli6" on your Mac for quick access to prompts that help you understand complex concepts

• check the video to see how

For example - use the "ELI5" approach: Before implementing a solution, ask the AI to "Explain it like I'm a junior software developer" to get a comprehensive breakdown of the problem and solutions.

Request analogies: (my "ELI6" prompt) get explanations with analogies and simple examples, making complex concepts more relatable and memorable.

Building a Personal Knowledge Base

To maximize long-term learning, create a documentation repository for your
project: set up a GitHub repo: Create a separate repository for your project documentation, making it easily accessible - Let your preferred LLM assistant to write it out for you.

Document your learnings: After fixing a big bug or implementing a feature, create a markdown file explaining the concept, complete with generated charts and UML diagrams.

By implementing these strategies, you'll not only solve problems faster but also create a valuable resource for your future projects and continuous learning.

The two key benefits that I have come to appreciate doing this are both much better maintainability and much better learning which makes me a better hacker.

What are your hacks to get the most of your AI editor? Let me know in the comments!