If it refers to random beach balls for 30 seconds when accessing disk ether directly or through apps... yeah I get that. I found it disappointing, a flaw in an otherwise great machine (M1 Mac mini).
I have 16BG too. I have a Time Machine backup set up for a disk plugged into an AirPort Extreme, could that be the issue? (The machine connected to the network using WiFi if that matters.)
It’s sad but it’s true.