This is the reality of non pilots enjoying the world of flight sim. There are no real courses or instructors sitting with you as you learn. It takes time and an interest to learn to advance from bumbling novice gamer to accomplished sim pilot.
This is why, I believe it is so important to weed through the garbage. Having good basic reference material can help shorten the time frame. If given good information it is possible to learn to do it right the first time and reduce the time fumbling through.
Consider the real world requirements to be licensed to fly IFR (in Canada) …
An applicant shall have completed a minimum of: 50 hours of cross-country flight as pilot-in -command in aeroplanes and. 40 hours of instrument time of which a maximum of 20 hours may be instrument ground time.
Obviously this does not include the study time to pass the written exam, but you can see that to be physically proficient shouldn’t take years, if proper guidance is offered. Imagine how much more enjoyable the experience when you KNOW you are doing it right.