Either developers feel an urge to keep on track with modern tools and frameworks or keep learning new things, they need fresh ideas to fulfil it with a content at least or make it even useful.

Having in mind, that the most of "Top 100 ideas..." are useless and require lots of planning and sometimes the whole engineering team, it seem hard or not great to do.

Recently, I realised that I don't need to think of abstract or giant ideas that require lots of effort and time. Instead, I can make a use of ideas that could be small as a simple application. For doing this, I try to remember all my recent needs to express them in ideas.

For example, I had a problem checking closest (or any) recycling bins in my city. Searching for it in Google, I have found least pages providing it. They were most likely from one source and it was mobile application that you need to install for 1 min search process and forget for the rest of your life. Even though, this is not the greatest and head-blowing idea, that could be it for your project as a good part of portfolio.

Another example, you may find a tool that already exists, but it could be paid or too huge and complex to use for your specific task - that is another great way to make it up.

Once I planned my own Pomodoro timer on iOS or macOS or even web. Why not?

I have learnt looking for ideas around me, I find it really useful and fun :)