I think if it works for you it's a great idea
Don't be so hard on yourself though. Learning the kana isn't at all hard. Stick to memorising and practising a couple of columns (i.e. 10 characters) per day and you should have it all in your head within two weeks. Don't forget to practice what you learned on day 1 on day 2, and what you learned on days 1 and 2 on day 3, etc.
I learned katakana before hiragana, because you get the instant gratification of being able to read japanised loanwords (nekutai, nooto, hoteru, roketto, and such forth) after only a week's study. It's very encouraging.
Once you've done those two weeks, practice your kana every day. Until they become second nature to you they're very easy to forget - much like cramming for an exam instead of genuinely knowing the subject.
Sure you "should" learn Kanji too, but I find it a LOT easier to learn Kanji once I know the word(s). I'm really not a fan of this idea of learning Kanji by the English meanings - that just seems like duplication of effort to me. So don't worry about Kanji until you feel ready to tackle them. If they scare you, you'll not look forward to studying, and when studying becomes a chore you learn far less.
If your computer's up to the task, I recommend JapanesePod101.com. You can sign up to their basic podcast for free, and get to hear native Japanese speaking the language and explain how they use it. It's a lot friendlier than some dry textbook and can help remind you why you're putting yourself through this madness
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Write, repeat, write, repeat is how most people learn Kanji. If it works for you, it works. If it doesn't you can try alternative methods.
I do strongly suggest you find a source where you can listen to the pronunciation of Kana and words, as it's very easy to get things wrong if you've never heard it spoken. About.com has a good Japanese language resource section, including the facility to sign up for a vocabulary-building Word of the Day email, with links to appropriate soundfiles.
Finally I think if you're dedicated, you can do it, no matter what materials you have immediately to hand. Good luck!