I suck at ES2.

I am new to 4X games as a whole and I love ES2 so much. But I really suck at it. I've never played anything like this before in my life. I am playing on easy difficulty, and have only achieved a few victories in my 120 hrs of play (go ahead, point and laugh). I watched many videos and read many guides, but beyond what the game has to offer on the surface, there appears to be a thousand things going on behind the scenes to track, that in turn lead to incredible minmax/micromangement gameplay. My question to veteran ES2 players (or 4X players) is what are some things you keep in mind while playing to focus on the overall macro/micro of the game? Is there a checklist you go through in your head before hitting the 'end turn' button? What are some 'big picture' concepts you keep in mind to achieve that sweet victory? What are some variables to note, and keep in mind? Maybe I am thinking too hard about it, but it feels like I'm not thinking hard enough, but I don't really know what it is I should be thinking about until its too late. For the record the factions I have enjoyed the most have been Lumeris/Vodyani/Sophons, but I would like to assume that general micro/macro tips can apply to many, if not most of the factions. Thank you in advance for any cool tips I see here.