If you haven't worked on a large project before source control can be your best friend, but if you aren't using it correctly you can cause a lot of issues for your teammates. I like to try and maintain these simple rules to avoid issues:
- Update, Merge and Test your changes locally before submitting your work.
- Do not commit changes before you leave for the day (do it in the morning instead)
- Use Locking to restrict access to non-mergable files to prevent people from editing it.
- Always write a descriptive comment for the change you are submitting.
If you've ever had someone break the build right before leaving for the day, you can understand why these rules are needed.