i also started teaching myself how to code about 4 months ago i think the advice i found most helpful so far was to just practice, so idk how long you spend each day but on average i spent about 6-7 hours a day(im a kid so i dont have much else to do), and its been helpful so far. I also try not to look at editorials, and if i like the problem and i cant think of a good solution, i usually put the question off for a bit and come back every week or so and see if i can solve it then. Upsolving after a contest is also extremely important. Also, when i first got on codeforces i was also pretty obsessed with rating and whatnot but i dont think it should be something that you should measure your skill with. Yesterday I just couldn't understand many of the problems, which led to me losing a lot of points, but that doesnt mean ive gotten worse since my previous contest. So dont worry too much about getting international grandmaster.