As with most things in life, this game has taught me a few lessons:
1. Patience is key. Take your time. This gives you time to gather data / information, learn and Consider carefully. You cannot have everything all at once (unless you are independently wealthy).
2. Consider carefully. Choose wisely. Resist the FOMO. Prioritize. Again, you don't have to do everything, all the time, all at once. You can choose to focus on building your city, building your army, building up goods for negotiating, progressing through the Spire, working with your fellows on an FA, killing an event, racing through a chapter, OR just plodding along while pleasantly burning time between meetings at the office. You might even choose two, or more of these at the same time.
This has been one reason that I really enjoy this game. Take an event, or leave it. You do YOU.
It is true that many folks have a drive to achieve as much, or more, than possible. Inno counts on this to make money. I get that. We can choose to contribute to this or not (No judgement here, just a fact). I appreciate the folks that fund this game. I cannot afford that. So, I choose to enjoy what I can and I leave the rest on the table.
I acknowledge that many factors are changing in game. I see more incentive to fight rather than not (I have been an exclusive negotiator here, in the past. It remains to be seen, if that carries forward much longer). So far, I have still been able to choose how I play. It also remains to bee seen if those choices remain open for future chapters, for me (I am currently at the beginning of the Elementals Chapter).
Just a few observations.