I do the same as you. For me it's far more important to maintain energy level and motivation in self improvement projects than to do some specific trick questio

I do the same as you. For me it's far more important to maintain energy level and motivation in self improvement projects than to do some specific trick question kata for a hypothetical interview. Some people like those, I can't stand them. I get a huge kick from algorithms when they solve a specific problem at my current problem elegantly. I suppose for me my algorithm learning plan is to constantly ask myself "what is the simplest form of data that I need and which algorithms then process it most elegantly for my current problem". The only thing I know for sure is a) people learn differently b) each must find a learning strategy that fits his or her strengths the best.