I certainly would not turn off 2-step verification but you do you.
Agreed. Email is an easy access point for scammers to steal one's id/digital life (eg. password reset links, mails from financial institutions providing scammer what else to go after, etc).
Can also use Chrome for just Google stuff. That's what I do: sign-in once, verify, done.
Also: is OP clearing cookies everyday/frequently? If so, stop doing that. Or some cookie blocker extension that is being overzealous?