HOW?!

[Quasarrgames]

Sorry if it seemed like i was complaining.

[Devon_v]

The colonist state icons and EdB's UI mod really really help with keeping track of what's going on. For the longest time I avoided them because I thought they would just be clutter, but they are very well designed, amazingly customizable, and feel like they're a vanilla feature.

[Kaballah]

EdB Prepare Carefully is really nice as well, and gives you a predictable starting colonist setup:
https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=6261.0

[keylocke]

i don't like icesheets since the secret to icesheets is to keep population artificially low and relying heavily on the harsh temperature to kill the enemies for you.

this is a biome where combat tends to be minimal and the action is slooow.. since most events start and end with barely any player interaction. i just hole up and hope to outlast the enemy. not very fun.

i like going outside and engaging the enemy on large battles and outwitting them with tactical maneuvers. 

[Kaballah]

Well it's aside from OP's problems but regarding ice sheet: you still need people to do all the work, and I actually like playing with the Zombie Apocalypse mod with the zombies tweaked to make them largely immune to cold (-100/+100 comfy temperature) so it's not actually boring or slow at all.  There are dangerous enemies on the map constantly, I hope you like the combat music 

[demacrex]

That works until your cook breaks from the negative mood from butchering humans.

Cannibal, Psychopath and Bloodlust are all very powerful and useful traits even though they sound undesirable.   

Also your cook only gets one -4 for butchering humanlike, doesn't matter how many

[MailletC]

I usually play on Phoebe Basebuilder with difficulty set to Rough.
There is enough attacks and events to keep things interesting, but threats are toned down enough that my colonies last for several years.
The post earlier about maintaining a separate battery power supply is absolutely correct. One other simple tip is to connect your turrets to an extended power conduit, and cut off that conduit with a switch located inside your base. You can then remotely activate your base defenses from inside your base. When you're not under attack, you can switch the whole system off to save power.
Planning ahead for future threats is important. Adequate food stockpiles, maintaining medical supplies, doing regular checks of weapons and equipment, emergency power supplies, thick walls, turrets with clear fields of fire, maintaining good relations with your neighbors, and stockpiling useful materials are all things you need to do to build a lasting colony.