So, you want to learn how to play guitar. Right? You've got a bag of picks, a fresh set of strings, a brand new capo, a strap to sling around your shoulder... everything you could possibly need. Now, you just need someone to tell you exactly where to put your hands, and when to do it, and you'll be set!
...Right?
Not so fast. Now, proper technique is certainly important. You don't want to end up hurting yourself. You do need to know where to put your fingers, and how they should be placed there. All of this is important. Don't go to your teacher and say "Dan Walker on the Internet said I don't have to learn proper technique!" But, it will come with time. Now, I know that's not something that people ever want to hear. That's not the point of what I'm trying to tell you.
Too often, I've seen people struggle to play exactly the right note with exactly the finger in exactly the right place, and that completely misses the point of most lessons. Let your teacher worry about reinforcing the correct way to do things. There are two things more important than technique that you need to be thinking about: Why am I doing these things? And what am I doing in between?
A teacher can make sure you are doing things properly. That's their problem to worry about. Your first concern is, why are you playing these notes or these exercises? When you're learning a scale or even just a simple warmup exercise, the point isn't to memorize it immediately. There isn't an exam! If there is, consider it open book. Read that scale, hopefully a pattern that tells you which fingers to use. The less you have to think about the technical stuff, the more you can focus on why you're using your second finger instead of your third. Usually, that's because later on you'll want your second finger to be on that same fret when playing a chord. Look for the patterns between scales and chords, and where your finger placement is the same between different chords and the scales/exercises that your practice.
Your second concern is to think about what to do in between the notes or chords that you're playing. That is to say, use the time that you're playing one note or chord to think about what comes next. Don't wait until it's time to play the next note or chord to think about it. Then it's too late! If you find yourself stopping to move your fingers around, you waited too long to think about it. You should be moving those fingers (in your mind) before they need to start moving. Another part of this is to, again, find the common notes or frets and fingers between chords. If you're playing a G chord, and next is a D chord, you don't have to pick up your whole hand. Use that third finger as an anchor, and move the other fingers around it. The less movement you have to do in between chords, the better.
TL;DR – Don't overthink the technical side while you're in the moment and playing. It's better to make mistakes and stay in time and keep moving than to freeze up and think about what to do next. Plan ahead. See the patterns. The physical technique will come from there.
So, here's my guitar story. Of course, we're really here for you and to start your guitar story. However, it would probably help you to know a bit about my background.