Underrated workflow tweaks that changed my mind [v5]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. For context, I am working with a pretty modest budget so high-end suggestions probably will not land.

Mostly thinking out loud — feel free to push back hard.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, mods please remove if it is not. The trade-offs here are not obvious to me and I keep flip-flopping.