I have an M1 pro (16gb) and don't have this issues. Might be worth checking your system/taking it to Apple for a check.

Only time I got any similar issues were when I was hitting the ram pretty hard, but MUCH better than my i9 32 Gb with the same problem on memory (FUCK YOU DOCKER!)

One thing that came to mind, which may be relevant to you or not, do you have the Whatsapp desktop client installed/running? A few months ago, an update seems to have screwed up something that made my Mac much slower and unresponsive when it was open (my gf and my ex had the same issues with WA, the moment they closed WA it was snappy again).

Hmm sounds like maybe it's a bug or some specific software issue.

On the M1 air, I sometimes notice that the battery is draining a little bit quickly, and will check and see that I have like 10 Safari windows open and minimized, with over a hundred tabs in total, but I hadn't noticed any slowdown or performance issues.

Bluetooth devices having trouble?

I suggest you try wired before blaming the CPU.

i'll echo the others with my experience that i have no problems too. i do see this in m1 with high memory pressure though. docker is always suspect. also long-lingering web tabs.

Which games can you even play on a mac?