Advice on getting back to my beginner island after months?

So I got NH as a Christmas gift for myself. And being the perfectionist that I am I wanted to play every single day. Even if that didn't happen irl. After a while it bothered me to always have to switch the system time to play so I stopped playing altogether. I last played my island some time in mid January (game time). Now I want to just play whenever I find time and only time travel for events or to speed up building or moving things.

What do I need to know and/or do getting back into it?

I know that that the villagers will probably comment on my absence and I assume I'll have a lot of weeds and flowers. Any tips on what I can make with those? I know about the leaf umbrella and the hay bed.

Also would appreciate any advice you have on letting the perfectionism go and just playing at my own pace. Do any of you only play a few days a week instead of every day?

I feel like most people grind in the beginning to unlock terra forming and get as many items and DIYs as possible, make their island beautiful and then slow down. But I'm still very much at the beginning- I just had my first campsite visitor move in before I stopped playing.