In essence,
@Replytoken is correct. Don't try to learn everything all at once - it is overwhelming. However, starting off on the right foot is important in many regards and the answer varies from person to person as everyone not only has different needs but everyone also views the world differently. So, there is rarely a one-size-fits all answer. For example in choosing a file structure for your images there are really onle 2 or 3 basic approaches that people tend to use (with minor variances). You need to find the one that willwork best for your needs and your way of thinking about things. Tutorials or Youtube videos tend to push one method or approach which that particular author or podcasterprefers so if you watch severl you many times wind up with conficlting reccomendations. A consultant or tutor can ask you questions about your needs and help you pick the the best approach that will work the best for you.
But as you said, you don't need to know all the bells ans whistles. You just need to know how to do the few things the fit your needs . I would suggest that those are
- Come up with a backup strategy if you don't already have one
- Decide on a folder strategy that works for you, or just let LrC put images in date folders, then learn who to do it
- Decide if you need to rate your images so you can find your better or best images without having to deal with all the others
- Decide if you need a flexible method of putting images into groupings or finding images with specific characteristics that have meaning to you and then how to do it (This would be using collections and/or keywords). Or, if you have so few images that this is not needed and just scrolling through your entire set of images is just fine, then decide to skip it.
- On the image editing side (Develop Module), you should probably learn about a handfull of sliders in the Basic Panel and that may be all you need and if you find a need for something more targeted or powerful learn that later as each requirement shows up.
- And then the last think on the "basics" list is to learn how to export images you want to email to people, post in websites, or even print.
Depending on how you learn best you may want to watch viedos, read tutorials on specific topics, read a comprehensive book, join a camera club where folks are willing to hep, keep asking questions on forums, or hire a tutor for a few hours.
Hope that helps.
Dan