Yes, paper submissions are big, that's true. It does require effort, and I knew people who had 1-3 inch thick applications which they put together themselves. Besides being overwhelmed or having to do a lot of work, anything else that stops you from going paper route? I'm not saying this is the only way, surely you can file I-130 online and I-485 on paper. But sometimes USCIS has trouble connecting them if filed separately.
Be very careful with leaving the country when out of status. You may get a ban reentering the US for 3 or 10 years, l depending how long your overstay is. Any overstay is forgiven for a spouse of US citizen if you they remain in the US, but not if they leave the US! At that point you may need a waiver and it will add years to your processing time. If you need to leave, leave before you accrue unlawful stay... For consular processing without overstay, it will take 2 years or so to get immigrant visa.