New manual transmission driver, need some help...?

It doesn't hurt. It gives you a smooth transition between gears. As for depress the clutch all the way in, you don't have too. You need to find a sweet spot where the clutch let you shift. Normally, I depress the clutch about 1/2 to 3/4 in and shifting gears. It is a lot faster shifting than depressing all the way in. One thing, you can always shift from gear to neutral without having to depress the clutch.