I don't know if I do anything that makes me outwardly different, but I just create. I don't care if sounds like someone else, if it's too repetitive for someone else's taste, if someone thinks it sounds like shit, etc. I make what I make and I enjoy it. Very often I hear people not liking their own music or caring about what other people are saying about it. From the beginning of my journey, I've felt the opposite. At this point, it's me vs. myself. (Of course, that's not to say I don't appreciate con crit and take it to heart.)

I listen to the track over and over without actually doing anything to make progress. Mainly because I get distracted with the internet

Learning some theory will definitely help you. Finding secondary dominant chords will your progression more interesting. Sorry my answer doesn't directly tell you what to do, but if you learn some theory (specifically about secondary dominant chords), you'll achieve what you're looking for.

I've been producing for 8 months (February will make it 9). I've been playing piano since 2008 and I've picked up a couple of instruments along the way. I started producing my sophomore year of high school due to a music program I went to, but it didn't stick because I didn't have access to a DAW at home. A friend of mine encouraged me to start producing for real, so I did it and never looked back. Almost every song I make, I can hear improvement. Whether it's mixing or sound design, I can hear the difference in quality. The improvements feel like they are less noticeable so I could be plateauing now, but I know they are there and that's fine with me.

I'm glad I started learning instruments first because I already had some musicianship going into it. I had written songs before, so I had a decent idea of how to compose and arrange music, and the music was clear in my head (although it was hard at first to translate it into the DAW). I had picked up music theory on my own from playing instruments, learned basic theory from various lessons, and took music theory classes in college. Some people have no experience with music and grind through the trial and error, but I know I couldn't have done that without knowing the whys or hows of music.

"We gon be alright" - Kendrick Lamar

I played that song whenever I things got rough for me, and I still do it now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWUSge4cwho - found this last week and it aptly describes my life lol this will definitely help me get through the semester 

I was saying this in another thread, but knowing where you want to go with your song helps speed up your workflow. Copy other songs and follow the structure they have to help with completing your own stuff. When you're comfortable, make up your own!

While some people say that you shouldn't mix and compose at the same time, I think it depends on how you like to work. There are no rules, just whatever you want. I used to mix while composing because mixing was the part of the process I loved doing the most. Might not have been the fastest way to do it, but it worked for me. Nowadays I finish composition before I get a chance to mix, just because I know where I want the song to go very early on. Explore all your options and find what works for you.

I wouldn't worry about production speed unless you are a professional (or planning to be one) and have lots of deadlines to meet. Speed comes with time, but don't get hung up on it. The more you focus on it, the more time you'll spend on producing imo. I've gotten a little faster in the past few months because I have a better idea of where I'm going in my songs. I know how I like to structure them so it's definitely a lot easier to finish the arrangement part of the process. If you follow a certain structure in your songs (whether you do it intentionally or not), keep using it!

To help you get faster, try producing on a time limit or deadline. You'll stop worrying about being perfect because you'll be focusing on finishing your track asap. And like I said earlier, it doesn't hurt to know where you're going with your song.

While I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, I spend massive amounts of time on one track until it's finished (usually). I take small breaks here and there to give my ears a rest (or I get distracted with social media) and then go back to the music. If I don't have anything to do all day, I'll spend most of it banging out as much of a track as I can.

Passion.

You have to have passion in order for production to be rewarding. If it's not fun to you or you're doing it to be famous or follow trends, it shows imo.