Why do I not get better?

I started playing chess a week ago or so, have played some games with my granddad and dad when I was like 7-10 years old (never even knew there was a thing such as chess theory)

So, I’ve been going through the lessons in chess.com, I can remember a few openings, I know you need to control the center, not let your pieces hang. I can solve some even pretty advanced tactic puzzles which the lessons provide, but I struggle to play live chess and the CPU.

The best I got up to is level 5, I’ve always had to play a single level like 50 times before I get the win, and even after I won level 5 I could go play a level 3 and lose. Also I trash some 900-1000s totally in live chess but then again can go on a losing streak against 700s.

How do I REALLY improve?

I don’t know how to use it.

Is the right way to analyze games to run the full computer analyze and then manually go over every mistake the computer pointed out and find a better move? That sounds rather time consuming but I’m not afraid of that. Just wondering if I’m missing a tool of the analyser.

Try www.365chess.com Opening Explorer.

tl;dr

1) Play in local over the board (OTB) tournaments.
2) Read books.
3) Analyze your games with a chess engine and make use of reference material.

Use an engine to find the big tactical mistakes (you can ignore every little error it wants to point out). Compare your openings against a reference (like a database or reference book). Most sites let you view a few moves into a database but you'll have to pay to see more. A reference book would be like this
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Chess-Openings-15th-Firmian/dp/0812936825

If local OTB tournaments aren't an option for some reason, play long live games online (not chess.com's "daily"). To be similar to OTB tournament time controls this would be, for example, at least 60 minutes for each player. Long time controls are important because they give you time to make sure you're not blundering, check whether or not your opponent's last move was a blunder, and incorporate any new ideas you may have learned or want to try. Fast games don't give you the time to do these.

For books try to get ones that are for your level and have good reviews. The first big burst of improvement for new players usually comes from completing a tactical puzzle book. Some books to consider:

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Tactics-Everyman/dp/1857443861

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Strategies-Everyman/dp/1857443853

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Endings-Everyman/dp/1857443489

For analysis, I recommend downloading a chess engine and the graphic interface (which is just the menus, buttons, and board that lets the human interact with the engine).

These can be found free online.

A sample engine and UCI (stockfish is one of the strongest)

https://stockfishchess.org

http://www.playwitharena.com

Other useful references

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKCMXf4g1HU&list=PLPT2Ux0iNpmhU_g9ya9gNb1E_n1MJjPCH

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM-ONC2bCHytG2mYtKDmIeA

http://www.chessgames.com
https://chesstempo.com
https://2700chess.com

As a substitute to the tactics book I recommended, this one (link below) is also good.

I mention it because @mickynj talks about the importance of looking for forcing moves (checks, captures, threats), which is really useful advice, and advice that originated (AFAIK) with Dan Heisman (the linked book's author)

https://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Tactics-ChessCafe-Chess/dp/1888690348

Patience my young padawan.

That's true. I think the book talks about it in the intro, so if he's interested I thought it might be good.

But like you're saying, sometimes people don't mention lesson #0 which is... don't lose material for no reason 

hey buddy, im was in the same situation and STILL working through it. as a fellow sufferer i will narrow it down to how i have made improvements. #1 grandad only taught you how to play. nothing else. i learned this after i joined chess.com. #2 if youre losing to anyone rated below 1000 than your not being diligent enough about checking your hangers and looking at your opponents possible tactics, which will be simple at 1000&- #3 longer time controls, and even 1 day dailys are ok right now. i know the above user (who is almost certainly higher rated and better than me) said not to, but right now you are looking to break for a "click" that will breakthrough and help you be a better player. that comes through analysis and time spent in a game that is ongoing. treat these 1 day dailys like long tactics puzzles that fight back and not over the board games. #4 play players that are stronger than you. if they are weaker you might even get worse at such low levels by learning bad habits and not being faced with formidable offense/defense/tactics/strategy. #5 find an opening that suits your style and stick with it for awhile. dont jump around and try to learn a ton of openings. use one and start to understand the dynamics of the game. it provides a familiar structure..... i started using these tips not too long ago and i am learning alot more efficiently and putting up more of a fight against stronger players and im hoping for a win against a 1300 player im playing, maybe 2 wins against her....... im playing some 1200+players and some of those games are looking good as well........ its definitely humbling to join chess.com, i thought i was a good player and won easily against most relatives and friends over the board but here.. these people are real chess players and its a whole world i never knew before......this will be quite a journey but maybe one day i can be a master.....chess is a game of possibilities.

"..., you have to make a decision: have tons of fun playing blitz (without learning much), or be serious and play with longer time controls so you can actually think.
One isn’t better than another. Having fun playing bullet is great stuff, while 3-0 and 5-0 are also ways to get your pulse pounding and blood pressure leaping off the charts. But will you become a good player? Most likely not.
Of course, you can do both (long and fast games), ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (June 9, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive
Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1949)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm

Thank you all for the tips! Especially for the helpful reconstruction of my previous game! Cheers

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

"I started playing chess a week ago or so"

Be patient. It takes a lot of time. One week is nothing.

Here are a few quick tips:

1. Make sure the openings you play are respected (here's a quick list to compare)
2. Analyze your biggest losses and biggest wins (here's a guide on how to do that)

Bonus: Chess.com lessons are great, but have you considered learning from a classic chess book? Here's a list of great chess books to read: http://chesswinning.com/7-best-chess-books/

The advice I'm going to give you is basically the same advice I've gradually over time have come to accept myself...be patient...enjoy your chess journey (the process of learning)...don't be overly concerned about future results, that will take care of itself if you stay focused on what you are doing (learning) right now...and remember, no matter how good you eventually get, you will always want to be better...that seems to be part of the paradox that is involved with playing chess.