I tend to look at side-chaining more as an effect than a mixing tool nowadays.  Ofcourse there are necessities like side-chaining sub bass and so on (at least for me).  But I think the key is to use it to build cool relationships and dynamics with other sounds in your song then have it be a tool to force a bunch of noises into fitting in a mix.

I learned guitar to play green day songs, and got serious into production after seeing deadmau5 live around 2011.  Fairly generic but that's how it began for me.

I have sooo so many unfinished tracks. When I find myself uninspired and not wanting to a finish a track I strip the song for parts (saving all the cool synths and samples and ideas), move on and apply those to future songs.  Eventually you'll have a bank of all these awesome sounds and ideas that will culminate into a very satisfying finished product of all the stuff you love from your past songs.