As someone in a similar position as yourself, but who been using hardware instead of software like DAWs, I find myself having a similar feeling to people who use keyboard/mouse to make music like that, seems really tedious compared to the workflow I have outside of the computer.
But most importantly, I agree with your very last sentence, we're all different and what's optimal differs a lot from person to person.
Coming up with a riff/melody is much faster on an actual instrument (if you know how to use it). Turning that melody into a piece of good music is much faster in a DAW (if you know how to use it). If you lack skill in DAW usage or you're not making "finished" music, being instrument only is a legit approach, but learning and integrating a DAW would help you make better music.
But most importantly, I agree with your very last sentence, we're all different and what's optimal differs a lot from person to person.