I used to think: only the mainnet is "authentic," and Layer 2 is just a makeshift solution; as a result, a small transaction taught me a lesson about gas fees, and the experience was so frustrating it directly discouraged me.

My current understanding is simpler: if it can be handled on L2, do it on L2 first; only leave the mainnet for large transactions, those requiring the strongest security guarantees, or steps that must use mainnet liquidity.

My own compromise approach is pretty rough: first, break down the actions I need to take—frequent rebalancing / small trial-and-error moves go on L2, don’t fight the mainnet gas; if I really need to cross back to the mainnet, don’t try to save that little time, choose less crowded times, do bridging and swapping separately, set slippage thresholds tightly—otherwise, one "convenient" move can eat up both fees and slippage.

Recently, people compare RWA, US bond yields, and on-chain yield products all together, but I care more about the "friction during implementation": you might think it’s 5% vs 8%, but in reality, gas + slippage + bridge risks can wipe out the difference…
Anyway, I only do the steps I can clearly calculate for now, that’s how I’ll proceed.