I always remember myself starting different projects. I didn't stick to any of them, most of them died in shame, other are living their last breaths in my private gitlab or public github.
I've spend my last years learning new languages or frameworks, or trying different areas: NodeJs, TypeScript - which eventually got me the job I have, Kotlin with Desktop development, Rust for game development, Unity for game development.
I have the initial passion to start and learn but eventually I realize - its bigger than I can handle. Its either a SaSS that is too ambitious, or a game I'll never finish because I only code and I need artist/models/sfx/ui/game design.
Maybe I lack dedication, maybe I want quick results. Maybe I just jump into something without knowing what the final product should be. Or maybe I aim too high and too big. But I no longer have any ideas for a side projects. I really like programming, but I simply can't find a field / project that I can stay dedicated to.
I can't seem to find "life area" that I can improve (a classic side project path - find something in life that is missing and create it). I can't find any open source project I am really connected to so that I will be willing to contribute back. Maybe I am just lazy. Or maybe I'm just not good enough.
I really feel a hole inside since I do miss fun programming outside of work hours, but I really don't know how to fill this void.
How do I find and stick to a side project that will fulfill my passion to programming?
I learned that if you don't print anything for six months you will need to spend $50 on ink to get your next print. If you fall out of the habit, prints get very expensive.
So I challenged myself to print something every day and that expanded in scope to mean "print" in the widest possible sense. I learned pretty fast that the Ansel Adams "Zone System" helps you print anime characters on a receipt printer. I've cleared out my backlog of photos and mailed them to my family, trying many different service bureaus to see which ones tell you it is matte when it is a semi-gloss print. I even print my CSS grid information graphics on 4x6 cards, etc. Now, I break printers like Jimmy Page broke guitars. I just got an industrial printer from a drop shipper in Flushing, NY that came with a drivers-and-docs disk that didn't have working software but seems to have good enough documentation to get started.
It is good for my mental health because it grounds the world of digital images that I work and play in with the world of physical objects.
Use whatever language you want, break it down into small parts, and stub out whatever you can't do immediately.
The main thing is to just start coding, once you do, spend at least 10 minutes a day on it. Enough to do a git commit.
Good luck!