I understand where you’re coming from. Though I’ve never worked as an animator, I’ve studied dozens of different approaches. Some start with the head, while others insist the head should almost be an afterthought to the body. I remember every teacher I had in college asking us to do something different and, more than that, each one insisting their approach was the “right” one! There’s really no easy answer to this. However, I think it helps to see each approach as an objective system, or a complete visual language, in its own right. Each will have its own strengths and weaknesses, as you’ve already pointed out. One of the reasons I try to be really clear and organized in my own approach is so students can see the individual steps and feel empowered to change, sample, or modify them to suit their own ends. As you’re already discovering, what works for me might not work for you. My recommendation would be to experiment with a process list. It could be mine to start, or something completely different. Follow it for a while, pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and then begin customizing it to create your own personal way of seeing and constructing figures. My own approach developed in exactly this way. It’s mostly a mixture of things I learned from John Watkiss, Glenn Vilppu, and Andrew Loomis, adapted over time to fit the way I like to think and draw. This may not provide a quick fix, but I think that, in the long term, developing your own process will be much more useful and much more interesting. Hope that helps!