renter who's never held a drill to someone ready for a real project

the order that actually worked for me. skip around at your own risk

01
read the first hundred pages, then skip straight to the room you're actually working on. rest is reference
02
did this with Home RenoVision DIY's bathroom series, twice, before I owned a single tool
03
patch and paint a wall
(rental-friendly) do this even if you're not planning to move. cheapest way to fail small
04
replace a faucet or a toilet fill valve
first project with real stakes if you mess it up. turn the water off twice, trust me
05
find a stud and hang something heavy properly
06
denser reference, keep this one for when something's already gone wrong
07
take on one full room, start to finish
the actual test. mine was the bathroom and it took four times longer than the youtube version

Or start a list of your own. Free, it takes a minute.