Yep, that's the way to do it. Just keep going at things and you'll find your progress starts to improve exponentially. I think the lack of tutorials or handholding is one of the things that keeps the game fun. While it's a lot to take in at the start, you'll soon get used to how things work (Maybe a few hours of gameplay). Then you'll start figuring out what tools you need and what you don't. You'll figure out where to get materials to turn into components, or what materials can be converted into other materials in order to turn into resources/equipment/tools you need.

Just keep at it and the pace picks up.