At some point in your instrument training, the proverbial light bulb will go off and everything will come together. I would also recommend MS fright simulator for working on the scan, a hand held radio to learn the radio procedures - half the battle is knowing what to expect. Use the tools at hand to make your life easier: i.e. use the ADF knob for assigned heading, etc. Make sure you have good situational awareness (SA) and "be ahead" of the airplane - while being vectored, ask yourself "where am I"? organize your charts/plates in such a manner that you only have what you need (keep full sets in reach!). Ask to "ride along" in the back during another student's training. You can observe a lot by just watching

I probably could have saved my self 5-10 hours of instrument training with those two simple items. I still use MS flight simulator for scan practice, as well as for getting ready for a trip to an unknown airport.