Macbook Pro slow; advice

Macbook pro, 15-inch, 2017

3.1 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 

16 GB memory

Monterey 12.4

1 TB HD, available 369 GB

Stuff usually running:

Time Machine backing up to 4 TB G-Drive

iDrive backing up to 1 TB  G -Drive

iDrive backing up to cloud

Dropbox with 317 GB Drobox folder on disk

Wired Internet connection 

I have a VPN, but the slowness doesn’t depend on whether I connect through the VPN.

I have an external USB keyboard that lately seems to stop registering / go dead periodically, and then I temporarilyt switch to typing on the laptop keyboard which still works. The external keyboard comes back later.  I assume whatever the keyboard issue may be is unrelated to the general slowness.

After rebooting, and turning on nothing other than Microsoft Word for Mac, the computer becomes slow, with circling ball.

I have two USB hubs connected because of the number of wired peripherals.  I have two external mice connected, but they function ok.

Utilities / Activity Monitor shows:

Memory used shows 7.73 GB out of 16

CPU System 76%; user 18%  Idle 7.5%

Automatic software update is enabled

Any ideas?  Is there a general checkup of some general checkup to do? Somewhere to run a diagnostic and post result?