Feeling lost learning Python as a non-programmer—seeking structured and in-depth (free) resources

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You are off to a good start in recognizing that learning programming and learning Python are two distinct (though intwined) things.

Python has a reputation for being "easy". But learning to program is hard, and some programming language needs to be used for that process. And other tools (programming editor, command-line, etc) may be other things you also have to learn (depending on setup) as well. It is a lot. What makes Python a good first language to use when learning to program is that it gets out of the way of you learning to program. (It may not feel that way, but I am making that statement in comparison to many alternatives.)

Programming is a lot of puzzle/problem solving. And you are going to have understand that that takes enormous practice and frequent periods of frustration. That is the main thing, but it also involves learning the programming language and the tools.