A broad goal such as “learn spreadsheets” can be hard to act on. A small project gives the skill a practical setting and produces an output you can inspect. Keep the project narrow enough to finish. Choose a task such as organising a reading list or summarising a simple dataset. Identify the minimum functions needed, practise them, and compare the output with a manual check. Record what confused you and seek an explanation for that specific issue. Increase complexity after the basic workflow is reliable. Copying a tutorial once does not show independent ability; rebuild the project with different data and explain your choices. Use fictional or public data when learning so private workplace information is not exposed. Practice: Define one small project, its completion criteria, and a check for correctness. Schedule a short review of what you can now do independently.