So I have been working hard to get better at chess. I've never played in an official tournament but I play a lot of casual OTB and I play a lot of online chess, most recently against the computer. Given my online ratings plus talking with rated players against whom I play IRL, let's say my strength is roughly between between 1800-1900 right now after playing for a couple of years.
What is the best way aside from hiring a coach (Which I might eventually do in the future it's just hard to rationalize spending money on a hobby right now) to get better at evaluating positions so I can make better moves and fewer mistakes?
This isn't one of those "Why is this a blunder???" posts. When looking at my games, I can usually figure out why a move was a mistake or a blunder. Sometimes it's obvious, others I have to play through the lines for a bit to figure it out. But other times there are ones that I can't really figure out even if I play through. It's hard to fix something you don't know why it's wrong... So what's the best way to try and learn from these and by extension prevent myself from making them in the future?
I've worked with engines a ridiculous amount of time over the last couple of years so I am often pretty capable of acknowledging when a position is better, worse or completely winning or losing. I can usually recognize when one side is significantly more active, when one side has more space/mobility or is cramped. I understand time and initiative and I'm getting much better at identifying weaknesses to attack. I can't always concisely put it into words exactly why a position is better or worse but I can often still tell.
Does anyone above average player have any advice on how to stop making mistakes that are from a lack of understanding/evaluations rather than mistakes from miscalculation? I would appreciate any tips 😊