To answer "getting a better understanding of python", I feel strongly that
- Start by sticking to standard tools and libraries (https://packaging.python.org/current/)
- Reading and understand The Google Python Standards Guide (https://google.github.io/styleguide/pyguide.html),
- Trying to be true to The Zen of Python (https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0020/)
- Be Pythonic (basically the same as "The Zen of Python"), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-BqAjZb8M
- Supplement your problem-space with tips from The Hitchhikers Guid to Python (http://docs.python-guide.org/en/latest/)
- Be preapred to package your code (https://packaging.python.org/distributing/ (Doc), https://github.com/pypa/sampleproject/ (Example))
- Being prepared to debug
someone else's code[Your own code first]