There is a way to do it. Just take upon at least 3-4 syllables from the hiragana tables. By 3-4 syllables, I mean learning the vowels (a,i,u,e,o) and a couple of some letters (ka,ki,ku,ke,ko-line etc)
Read, pronounce and write some words (doesn't matter if the words are correct or not) to make sure they stay in your head. When your confident enough to write or say the characters without referring to some sort of guide, you can proceed to the next set of syllables.
Just take it slowly and work to your own pace. That what Japanese 101 taught me this semester.