Google Cannot Solve your Coding Problems

Stop and think before you do this. Googling for code samples is usually the final step when designing solutions. Start by defining the problem; if you can't define the problem, how can you solve it? Then, and only then, start working on a black-box solution of your own; identify the basic inputs, general logic (phrase it in a single sentence - this is the black box), and outputs of this black box. Even if you're not artistically inclined, always opt to take pencil to paper - it will help.

Finally, with a clearer perception of what it is you need to do, use Google to focus in on relevant code samples. Doing this in reverse order leads us to try and re-imagine the problem to fit somebody else's solution. I imagine 80/90% of programmers, myself included, are guilty of this everyday form of insanity.