Kimberly,
I developed a plan for myself after reading hundreds of posts on the how-tos of everything. Each exercise I did had a specific purpose. A limited palette in one, toned canvas in another, edges, drawing from life, conte crayon, warm and cool color and where to put it, and on and on.
I've had some failures and some successes, but in every case I learned something important. If you take one thing at a time you will build a pyramid of knowledge that grows and grows.
Like Michele, I believe that a "self directed" student can learn an immense amount on a forum like this (and this is the best). You won't get the superficial wows, but with your patience and hard work you will get as much out as you put in. So chill out and put your nose to the grindstone, DaVinci had to learn too.
Jean