Review/Lesson drought periods

I wouldn’t worry too much about the radical issue. Around level 14 you start getting only 6-8 radicals per level with many being kanji you’ve already learned. It doesn’t take up as much time/effort compared to the previous levels. There are a few other tricks, such as using synonyms, that can make it a lot less troublesome depending on your stance. Consider reading this thread if you haven’t already.