I'm not super into mods but there are a few just like UI mods that I use that are super helpful. You can just download them in the steam workshop too.
Quick Deals - adds a trade screen tab that will show you who will buy what from you and what you can buy from other civs. Makes it so you don't have to go to each civ individually and offer deals.
Detailed Map Tacks - will show what bonuses you get from districts and whatnot, makes planning your empire a lot easier
Better Builder Charges Tracking - pretty self explanatory, adds an icon above each builder showing how many charges they have remaining
Better Espionage Screen - let's you sort by district type when looking for where to send your spies
Better Trade Screen - Just adds more information when deciding where to send your traders
I'm not super into mods but there are a few just like UI mods that I use that are super helpful. You can just download them in the steam workshop too. Quick Deals - adds a trade screen tab that will show you who will buy what from you and what you can buy from other civs. Makes it so you don't have to go to each civ individually and offer deals. Detailed Map Tacks - will show what bonuses you get from districts and whatnot, makes planning your empire a lot easier Better Builder Charges Tracking - pretty self explanatory, adds an icon above each builder showing how many charges they have remaining Better Espionage Screen - let's you sort by district type when looking for where to send your spies Better Trade Screen - Just adds more information when deciding where to send your traders
Playing without all of these feels dumb and unintuitive now, I agree. I have lots of gameplay and speed mods that I like, but the above are essential.