I have been using RootsMagic for quite a few years now.
There is a free version available, RootsMagic Essentials - this can be upgraded to the full version.
Start with your parents and grandparents.
Work back a generation at a time.
Use sites such as FreeBMD.org.uk to find births, marriages and deaths.
Following my own advice, I have traced back to mid-1500's
And I don't use DNA!! 
Finally, post questions here on RootsChat!
I spent 15 years building my family tree before I took a DNA test.
The result of the DNA test is that one branch of it is NOT my biological family.
In the BBC Sounds series The Gift, one guy spent 30 years researching his family tree before taking a DNA test. He could not link any DNA matches into his tree, then his “parents” owned up that he was adopted.
So without DNA validating each branch of any family tree said tree is potentially a work of fiction.
Do not waste time researching on “paper” alone, take a DNA test and use the results in your research.