Autonomy players?

I tend to get overwhelmed with bigger families or just forget to set up queues for Sims I'm not actively playing, so I'd like to leave Autonomy on more often... but everything gets way too chaotic, and not in the fun way. I never make detailed plans for my households, so if the game throws random stuff like alien abductions and hungry murphy beds my way, so be it. But I always need some kind of routine to each Sim day. For example, in the morning, I get my Sims ready for school / work, and once they get home, I take care of their needs, let kids do homework and then they've got some free time between dinner and bedtime. I don't want Sims to learn random skills either (e.g. no need for my squeamish Sim to start gardening and digging in the dirt, you know...).
So, while I'd love to just sit back and watch for a couple Sim hours, everything falls apart once I turn on Autonomy, so I've given up on that. :D