No, it’s not really hard. Here’s how:
(1) Ignore the characters (at least until you can speak fluently).
2) Get a grounding in applied linguistics, which will help you truly understand your own language and how you learned it.
Skip to lessons 4, 5 and 6. Then, pay special attention to the phonetics and phonology lessons in Crash Course in Linguistics: 8, 9, 10 and 12. You will then be ready to direct your own learning.
(3) Learn HOW to learn a language, ANY language: there are fun & useful techniques that can speed up your learning “so you can at least talk”
(4) Learn GR Tonal Spelling. Here is a great 36-page introduction (shadow-banned by intolerant people: not even findable via Google search). Teaching materials and MP3s are still available.