First off, I totally get where you’re coming from with the 12 slots and the choices. Music is art and there is no right or wrong way when it comes to art.
However, for various reasons, you are experiencing some practical issues working that way.
If I can share something I learned from my mentor (Hall of Famer): select a very few pieces of gear/plugs that you like, are well engineered/coded and typically do most of the hard lifting project to project … as in really know (which isn’t always as simple as it sounds). Then, become familiar with a select few items/plugs that compliment these … that you can expect to do what you intuitively want to happen for a track as you are listening to it.
Historically, a lot of the biggest records were done in rooms with very little gear choice by todays standards.
In other words, is it possible to cut down the 12 to 3 or 4 and only load what you need when your ears tell you what is required.
I hope this helps in some small way.