Mike,

I'm really just learning too. Here are some ideas that have helped me to focus and stay oriented:

Quantized Movment:
I've found that the real progress starts when you get rid of the original idea of the heli moving in the same direction as your stick, and instead start imagining how the heli is going to react when you move the stick in a certain direction. First, think and move only in the cardinal directions - forward/aft, left/right - "don't mess with mister in-between". You can combine actions, but it is simpler to think of only 4, rather than an infinite number of directions. This works well with the DF - four rotors, four directions. Then make small, but quick "quantized" movements for correction, preferably in anticipation of movement. Make a repeated series of small, quick corrections in the same direction if necessary. It's fairly easy to hover within a 1 foot area this way.

Universal Orientation
Think "when I push the stick forward, the nose rotor drops" - true in any orientation - rather than "when I move the stick forward the heli moves that way", which requires an additional level of thinking unless you're exactly tail-in. Likewise, regardless of its heading, think to yourself "if I move the stick to the right, which rotor is going to drop?". So when you need to correct, you know in advance what you need to do because you've already imagined it in your mind. You start thinking about what the heli needs to DO, rather than what DIRECTION it needs to go. For instance, as you fly near an obstacle, think to yourself "what stick action(s) will get me away from the object". This helps you to relax and gain confidence. It's like thinking in the native language, rather than translating everything from one language to another in your head first.

I also have a really easy mental trick that I use to hover nose-in, but that's enough for now.

Having said all that, I would recommend a right-brain (non-analytical) approach to this project, once you understand the basic rules. Retired engineers learning golf etc., tend to analyze 'til paralyzed. You'll have a whole lot of data but still not have any confidence. (It takes one to know one - I'm EE '81).

Ciao,
Bruce