All the above is great advice. Personally, I'd go a step further back though.
Play some un-modded Minecraft. Or if you insist on using some mods, limit it to things like:
NEI - It's the list of items on the right when you open your inventory; it lets you look up recipes so you don't have to scour the net for how to make something.
Inventory Tweaks - It lets you middle click when looking in a chest to sort the items in it. Very handy in my opinion.
Rei's Minimap/Zan's Minimap - Having a minimap is very helpful while playing Minecraft.
Essentially, limit yourself at first to "ease of use" mods. Then, spend some time and learn vanilla. It shouldn't take too long, but it's always good to learn the basics in my opinion. Learn how to survive, build a shelter, and farm. Learn some basic redstone contraptions; try looking
here for some ideas. While not essential for everything in the modded Minecraft ecosystem, having a basic understanding of redstone can be helpful for some fun setups.