It’s a farming game. Farming is a big part of it. Expecting not to farm in a farming game is a little misplaced as an expectation.
I love Rimworld and Stardew, but they’re different. Rimworld is a strategy game in which you strategically plan and the NPCs run their lives until you take control of them.
You can respect a game and not enjoy it. Games are art and taste is important. I hate first person shooters for example. Don’t force yourself of you don’t want to, but expectation and comparison are thief’s of joy. If you want to enjoy something, don’t expect, just play and let it guide you and choose which parts of the mechanics you enjoy interacting with more.
Also, you lose less stamina as you level up. Better tools and food make energy irrelevant. Early game, you start from scratch and it gets easier over time. You get sprinklers etc. No more watering.