How to resolve "the 'package' argument is required to perform a relative import"?

Using Django Getting Started
3

I think I’m well off the beaten path here. For one, I built the project using this because I was flummoxed by the tutorial. With that structure I was able to make some progress.

My second step off the path was that I was using (.venv) PS G:\workspace\python-land\diet> python to launch the shell. Looking back at the tutorial, I see instead (.venv) PS G:\workspace\python-land\diet> python manage.py shell. When I tried that just now I get:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\manage.py", line 22, in <module>
    main()
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\manage.py", line 18, in main
    execute_from_command_line(sys.argv)
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\.venv\Lib\site-packages\django\core\management\__init__.py", line 446, in execute_from_command_line
    utility.execute()
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\.venv\Lib\site-packages\django\core\management\__init__.py", line 386, in execute
    settings.INSTALLED_APPS
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\.venv\Lib\site-packages\django\conf\__init__.py", line 92, in __getattr__
    self._setup(name)
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\.venv\Lib\site-packages\django\conf\__init__.py", line 79, in _setup
    self._wrapped = Settings(settings_module)
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "G:\workspace\python-land\diet\.venv\Lib\site-packages\django\conf\__init__.py", line 190, in __init__
    mod = importlib.import_module(self.SETTINGS_MODULE)
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "C:\Program Files\Python311\Lib\importlib\__init__.py", line 121, in import_module
    raise TypeError(msg.format(name))
TypeError: the 'package' argument is required to perform a relative import for '.diet_project.settings'

Looks like my spaghetti route ends up in the same place.