The best strategy in my opinion is to build something that aligns with some of your hobbies or favourite things. Do not attempt to "solve a problem" or "do generic exercises", build something that ties up with something you already enjoy. For example, if you're into some kind of sports, build a software that helps you keep track of it. If you like cooking, build a recipe tracker. You know the gist. By building someth…
What if anything I can come up with that aligns with my hobbies has already been done?
It doesn't really matter if it has already been done. It is actually good because then you can compare and try different things, or add the same features to learn how hard it is.