I always try to build things that I might want!
I am fortunate to have a lot of other hobbies, so I build little things for myself for those hobbies.
One of my first scripts I ever wrote around 2004 was a Perl script to get what song was playing and automatically update my IM “status”.
I also made databases of comics and CDs for myself too.
The easiest way to get better is by doing, and doing is way easier when it’s something I care about.