I had a playlist - a folder - of about 60 trance tracks from 2024, the vast majority of which I hadn't reviewed since a glimmer of a listen on Beatport prior to saving them back in '24.

I decided to have a gander before removing the playlist, and just for fun, I'll do a live set as I go. This is that. Ad-lib.
Admittedly, it's not the best way to play a set, but it makes me think fast when I don't know exactly what I'm transitioning into, and it kind of forces an urgent creativity. Yes, it fails at times, but the successes stay with me, knowing that if I can do a thing under pressure, I can do it again with ease when the pressure is absent.
Do note though, that I lack the discipline to spend hours honing a set. When I do create bespoke sets, I rarely record them, because by the end of the process, all newness is lost and I tire of it. I just don't want to keep repeating myself.
You may ask, "What if you accidently play a dire tune?" Fair question. I trust that the tunes in the folder are there because I found merit in them when I originally (pre download/save) reviewed them. If it does happen that I drop a clanger, I'll find a quick way out of it.

While I'm no pro, I've been doing this DJ thing for decades, and knowing basic music theory is a massive bonus, and I think I should make the most of that knowledge, over and above a need to create perfect sets and transitions. Besides, my favourite transition is the one when you're dancing to a fantastic track and 6 minutes in you realise the song has changed to another banger and you hadn't noticed for the past minute or so that a mix had even taken place.