ASK HN: How to study algorithms outside an academic context?

I tried learning algorithms during the past 10 years but I didn't bother taking it seriously because all the resources I used employed problems that are fun little puzzles but not practical in the real world.

My brain has trouble keeping interest, and retaining information about those.

Are there any resources where the author explains the algorithms well without using advanced maths, while also using real world problems as examples to cement the concepts?