If you find Access too daunting, you could try using Excel.
Please understand that using Excel as a "database" is much less robust, far less powerful and much more error-prone than Access, but it has the benefit of simplicity, and you can generally see exactly what you are doing.
Obviously, Excel does NOT provide you with the relational capabilities of Access, but if you get comfortable with Excel you may be able to use the work as a "stepping stone" into Access - especially if you begin to find Excel too limiting for what you want to achieve!
HTH
SD