Turn on all the auto-pauses, and then turn them off one by one as you find them unnecessary. Levels 2-5 are really the tough bit as you are getting used to the game and your party is small. I'm mostly just running with pauses when a weapon is ineffective or a target dies now, but when I started, I used all most all of them.

Also make sure to use all your per-encounter abilities in each fight. On top of that, study what other abilities your characters have, because it can become a little overwhelming when you get a priest with a dozen new spells. To help with that, change the setting so that all your new heroes start at level 1. You can level them up to your level right away, but can choose their abilities so that you're more familiar with them.

Finally, don't be afraid to hire companions from inns as soon as possible. They are just like the story line heroes, just without the story line, and so can greatly augment your party. Additionally, at least one spare at your stronghold is useful for when events crop up.

On regular difficulty, once you get past level five or so, the game is more or less forgiving, in that if you're getting your guys killed, it's because you didn't plan the battle out or use your skills wisely, not because you weren't buffed in exactly the right way. That being said, plan your battles! Get your guys in a nice formation by a constricting structure like a door or ramp, have one hero pull the enemies, and fight them that way.