Not really.. i've never paid attention to this, because i have the same arrangement for years. I do not change the icons position when i install a new update.
I get what you're saying. I use the same 5-10 daily (just guessing the amount). But maybe once a month I'll order a pizza or something. I only notice that because it offloads those apps after a couple of weeks.
Yep. I need about 10 apps a day and the rest I can find from Spotlight search.
I used to just fill the empty space with widgets, but now I can get a little creative instead.