Regarding all the ReSTEEMS, you may want to try my "hide resteems" script that allows you to toggle resteems on and off when you view a profile or feed page. Since I wrote it, I've used it non-stop and it makes it so much easier to key in on a person's own posts, especially if you're deciding to follow them or just to "catch up" on some of their recent posts you may have missed.

Link: Hide ReSTEEMS + Minnow Post Vote Slider and Past Payout Monetizer Script... and next, here comes SteemTUBE!!! 😲

Regarding notifications, you may want to check out @void's https://steemwatch.com:

SteemWatch is the notification center for Steem you have always dreamed about. It lets you pick Steem events you are interested in and then dispatch notifications using some of the notification mechanisms available. No longer you need to keep reloading Steemit.com. Just get notified automatically when the content you are interested in appears, you story gets upvoted and more!