Gmail is now taking up too much of my time, because all the new bells and whistles have slowed it down to a crawl. I actually have to close my browser and open it again in order to get Gmail to open.
Use a different front end for your gmail account. On Mac, try Airmail. On IOS, use the Apple Mail app. All those problems go away.
I use Thunderbird as my Gmail handler - once set up, it automatically logs in and can even be left open (like Outlook in offices).