Sims keep pausing, but time continues to run

Hi! This is been a persistent problem for a few months now. My sims will lag and just stay still where they are or sometimes just repeat the action they're working on continuously as time continues to run. Only thing that jolts it out of the lag is clicking the three dots (eg. the save menu, exit to main menu, etc.) but only temporarily. Also, when trying to move plates or rubbish to the trash can or sink, the item will get stuck on my cursor and the sink/trashcan/etc won't light up. Don't know if it's connect or causing the lag somehow. 

(1) i have no mods or cc 

(2) i have plenty of storage on my computer (PC) 

(3) i've repaired the game a bunch of times 

(4) i've cleaned out cache 

(5) I've reset my settings and lowered graphics 

(6) Doesn't matter the size of the household or the business of the lot 

(7) both my game and my computer are updated 

Please help! Thanks!!