So I started learning Piano a month ago, and it was hard getting my left hand involved in the beginning. Eventually I figured out that its more manageable if I just map both my hands to the beat rather than handling them individually.

Past week I came across a video about Ragtime and noticed how both hands play a different melody in them(often with different time signatures). Came across another video about how to develop hand-independence and the suggested route is playing the same melody on both hands but shifting it 1 bar. 

So I feel I might be developing a bad habit by forcing both hands to play a single piece and it would be harder down the road to change my muscle memory, if I don't correct this behaviour now.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

EDIT - In order to make my current approach more clear. I am not playing the same melody with both hands. I am not sure how to put my current approach it words. 

As an example if I need to play 4 quarter notes A,B,C,D on my right hand, and C,E,A,C on Left. I divide the piece in the form of (A,C),(B,E),(C,A),(D,C) and map the notes that need to be played on different beats. I don't practice each hand separately after I memorize the initial notes/flow of what needs to be played