I used to micromanage everything but i'm trying not to do that anymore. And reading this thread some has definitely given me ideas. I have free will on all the time now but I usually direct them to do things, but the larger the household they more they choose on their own but I still make sure everyone is taken care of generally. I might relax my hold even more after reading here. Free will does drive me up a wall though when there is a baby in the house. It's like they think the baby is constantly starving and there will be bottles all over the floor. I have a routine where when the baby needs a diaper change, I change it, cuddle, play, feed, put back in crib and it's good to go until it needs a diaper change again but the sims INSIST they need to be fed constantly. I don't know anything about real babies but the pixel babies don't need that much attention. I still leave free will on though and just try to keep them occupied. If they start complaining about bottles all over the floor, well that's there fault lol.
I roll for things now like aspirations, sexualities and i'm trying to come up with more things to roll for/better methods to the numbers so it's a work in progress. Granted I have the power to veto anything or choose myself if I really want to for a particular sim/thing but usually I don't. And ACR is it's own beast.
Sometimes I come up with story/plot ideas and do things, sometimes I take what the game gives me and go with it. I try for a mixture.