How to clean/optimize my MacBook Pro for better performance?

Hello, I have been doing some research about programs for my MacBook Pro that would help clean and optimize my laptop for better performance.

I came across MacPaw's CleanMyMac X and CCleaner. I have heard of both programs before and originally I thought they were great.. However after reading a couple of community questions on here, a lot of the comments are saying that MacBook Pro's do a lot of the maintenance and cleaning on its own and it is not necessary and it can be done manually if one knows how to navigate MacOS files which I do not.

I only use a few apps on MacOS including Calendar, Mail, Messages, Notes, WhatsApp, and Preview, but I usually close them when they aren't running. It could possibly be because of my heavy use of Google Chrome, using multiple windows, tabs (too many), and a couple of extensions at a time.

Are there any tips or specific manual approaches you would recommend? I'm open to learning more about navigating macOS files safely to optimize performance.

My MacBook Pro Specs:

Processor: 2 GHz Quad-Core Intel

Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics (1536 MB)

Memory: 16 GB 3733 MHz (LPDDR4X)

MacOS Ventura: 13.4.1 (c)

At present, I am in graduate school and I got my MacBook Pro as I present from my Parents for graduating undergrad with honors so I am not currently in the best place to upgrade to a newer MacBook that has the new M1 & etc. type of chips so I want to try to work with what I have now.

In addition, I would very much appreciate it if you could leave me any information on cleaning up and optimizing my Google Chrome browser for a better experience, please!

Thank you in advance for your insights!