Becoming better at AOE2: Focus Training?

Hello,

as a Low-Elo Player (~970) I'm always trying to improve my game. As a 35-year old, I also have to make time for playing AOE2 and can't just grind 8 hours a day and become better that way.

So a few months back I just focussed on my dark age and practiced some build orders and feel like I heavily improved in that area (still not perfect, as little mishaps can throw me off a little bit). Also, when I compare myself to my fellow teammates, I feel that I'm better at pumping vils while attacking at the same time in feudal age, as I tried to make it a habit to produce vils. (In Castle Age, I struggle a bit in that area, but I'm trying.).

There are still dozens of things I want to improve on, as the game gets much more complicated starting in castle age. Sometimes I feel that I want to do too many things at the same time and fail at things, I thought I had down.

I wonder what the most effective way would be to improve. I want to focus on single aspects of the game e.g.: (not getting housed, better scouting, booming economy, always produce and so on and so forth.) I want to try to practice in short sessions (I thought, I could maybe practice in my lunch break for 20-30 minutes or right after getting up).

Most guides say something like: "Play ranked and just set a goal (always produce) and just focus on that". Is this the only way? Or could I just open a game and practice always producing and keeping the economy going until that becomes a habit? I feel in "Ranked"-mode, I tend to be more focussed on the flow of the game itself than on certain areas of my game, because any attack could throw that off.

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So what's your opinion? Can you only improve while playing the game as a whole, or can you eliminate certain things from the game and have a kind of "training mode". (Especially from Castle Age on, I think in the early game it is absolutely possible as the Build Order mods prove.

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Many Thanks