How do you actually improve composition and train your eye as a photographer?

I’ve been getting more serious about photography lately and I want to improve my composition and framing instead of relying on editing to “save” photos afterwards.

Current setup:

• Sony A5100
• Sigma 150-600 for wildlife
• Sony/Zeiss 16-70mm for pretty much everything else
• I shoot mostly RAW right now and edit in Affinity V3 (free version)
• The problem is that I end up barely editing most of my photos because the workflow feels too time consuming, so a lot of RAW files just sit on my drive untouched
• Because of that, I’ve been thinking about switching more towards JPEG shooting and getting better results straight out of camera, especially since editing on iPad (Lightroom Mobile) is much simpler for me

The style I’m drawn to:

• Leica / Fujifilm type images
• cinematic colors
• photos that feel intentional and balanced without looking overprocessed
• street/travel/everyday photography
• slightly documentary feeling but still aesthetic

My problem:

A lot of my photos feel “okay” technically, but not visually strong. Sometimes the subject doesn’t stand out enough, backgrounds feel messy, or the image just feels flat even if exposure/colors are fine.

Things I already try:

• rule of thirds
• leading lines
• shooting lower/higher angles sometimes
• waiting for people to enter the frame
• simplifying backgrounds
• paying attention to light

But I still feel like experienced photographers instantly see compositions that I completely miss.

So my questions are:

1. What helped you improve composition the most?
2. How do you train your eye to notice better frames in real life?
3. Any exercises that actually work?
4. What separates average compositions from really strong ones?
5. Is it mainly experience, or are there specific things I should consciously look for every time before pressing the shutter?

Also curious:

Do you think shooting JPEG and trying to get things right in camera is actually a good way to improve faster than shooting RAW and heavily editing everything later?

I feel like focusing more on composition, timing and light instead of spending tons of time editing might actually help me improve faster, but I’m not sure if that’s the right approach.

Would appreciate brutal honesty if needed.