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First off, don’t feel like you are “falling behind,” as most of Tony’s tutorials should be a challenge and many times you might only feel like you were able to do half or 1/4 of the lesson well. Just trying and doing as much as you can is the win and expectation. You will continually re-visit the techniques as time goes on and you will continue to build your skills. So don’t feel like you are supposed to “nail” each challenge… you shouldn’t be conquering them easily. These are about the long-term, slow progression.
The size of the guitar could be a factor in your learning progress and how comfortable you are while playing, especially if the guitar is small and you have larger hands or a bigger build (although this is always subjective to one’s own feel). Have you visited a guitar shop recently and played around on a bunch of different brands/sizes/etc? I would also say that you might be playing on very old/rusty strings. If they haven’t been changed in a while, it might be a good idea to get a fresh set in place (light gauge). A fresh set is easier on the fingers as your fingertips will glide better when moving around the fret board. I think old/rusty strings create a “sticky” experience that inhibits chord changes.
But I would definitely recommend a visit to a guitar shop and play on a bunch to try and get a feel of what feels right to you. Everyone has their own opinion (and I’m happy to offer mine), but it all comes down to what feels good to you. I’d also recommend many visits… find a few that you like and come back a few days later and see if you feel the same. This can be done even if you aren’t as proficient a player as others. The first guitar I ever bought was done after several visits to mess around on guitars before I even knew how to play a chord. I still have that first guitar today and love it as it just spoke to me when I was playing it.
If you are looking for a new guitar and have nowhere to start, I’m going to paste a post below that I made a while back about picking out a guitar, some of it echoes what I just wrote.
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If I had a $1,000 limit, I would probably do an entry-level Taylor… but that is purely my subjective opinion. I just love the way they play and sound… and their guitar necks feel good on the hands. My first and only guitar is a Takamine G series, and I bought it for about $450 around 20 years ago. It has done me well and I love the way it sounds more and more each year. My buddy has a Yamaha and those seem to be a popular pick as well.
Whatever you pick, definitely go to a store that will let you play around with several until you find one that just feels right. The right guitar should just feel right in your hands.
Some models are larger/smaller and might be easier to play based on their size. For instance, some of the smaller-sized guitars will have slightly smaller fret sizes/etc, which could make it easier for your fingers to play the chords (depending on your dexterity/hand size).
At the end of the day, it is whatever just feels/sounds right to you! You could ask 10 different people and get 10 different answers and everyone would be right