I tried going the sourdough route a couple years ago with limited success (about 25%). I have definitely learned more since then by just doing pre-ferments--primarily a poolish(high water % preferment mixed with a small amount of yeast and let sit for 14-ish hours, before adding additional yeast, salt, water, flour).

If anyone wants sour bread that peaks a few days after baking, but not the full levain/sourdough feeding regiment, I would definitely recommend trying a poolish (or biga). In getting the poolish down, I feel like I'm in a better position to retry sourdough, now that I understand what all the steps are for, and to treat time as an ingredient.

When you get in to it, one of your main problems will be always having a loaf of tasty bread on your counter. That combined with working remotely makes it easy to gain a few pounds.

Another recommendation with the poolish, is to use a 2 loaf recipe (say 1000g flour), then make focaccia's with the 2nd. Focaccia is extremely simple and makes for a great gift or something to show up to a dinner party with.