Lately I mostly play with autonomy off but in certain households, I might switch it back on. I like keeping autonomy off with toddlers so that I am not dealing with shenanigans related to the high chair or anything overly repetitive.
I always played the game by mainly queuing up actions for my sims rather than just watching them wander around themselves. It's not really a control freak thing. I just like to direct the play and I often develop my own characters. Actually, I don't think it is a good thing to judge people for whether or not they want a game setting turned off or on. Directing play or being creative doesn't mean that someone is a control freak. It's the difference between labeling someone assertive or bossy, managerial or a control freak. There's nothing wrong with playing another way such as preferring to let sims wander around autonomously. We wouldn't insult those players either.