I use it quite a bit to double check things. English is not my first language so even though I'm fairly knowledgeable about it, sometimes I don't know how to express myself accordingly and it helps me do that. I agree though that sometimes it makes the story kind of clunky and suggests...
Personally I think that if you go with harem, you should flesh out everyone and give all of the members enough "screentime". If there are too many members and you think that's too much work then maybe it's better to go with a love triangle or single heroine. For me the sweet spot is around 3-5...