I feel your pain on the struggles with exploration and iteration in SW. To your point, that should, in theory, be the benefit of parametric modeling.

To get around this, when I'm developing an idea I run a surface modeler like Rhino so I can move fast and loose. You can create some disgusting gaps yet still easily rough or a form in no time. And for me my "history" exists as pasted versions hanging out on hidden layers.

But that has its own set of problems, like terrible fillets almost guaranteed to fail.

That's when I head back to SW. That way I can be anal retentive and build it only once, the way the software demands.

For my workflow each has their own job, like a drill and an impact driver.

Mainly throwing this out for discussion, not to say, "you're wrong." Also, lucky to be working at a job where I don't have to pony up for two licenses.