Strategy after Navigation
Solution 1:
On your first run through the game, the first big hurdles are Theology and the titanium buildup. You're not wrong that it's slow and frankly you'll need every resource you can get your hands on.
- You need all the wood. You will be building ships, both for cargo and trading benefits (if you haven't yet built a ship, do so, and then explore). You will be building Observatories, both for science caps, and more starcharts. Harbors for storage, to build more things. Get more wood.
- You're not wrong about iron. Keep your smelters running. Again, if you haven't built a ship yet, do so. You will find another source of iron. You need it for... well, everything you need wood for too. Gold too, not just for tradeposts. Build that ship.
- If you need more minerals, build more mines (what's that take? More wood). Half the miners as there are woodcutters is usually how I play it, and that usually brings in equal amounts of wood and minerals.
- Alternate between buildings, and build what you generally have the least of, to make everything easier. Harbors let you build more workshops and housing. Workshop make scaffolds, ships, compendiums, all easier, keep maxed. More kittens is more wood, keep maxed. Scaffolds to build more Observatories, to get more starcharts, to get more ships.
- Use trades to get more metal, which will slowly get you blueprints for that Expanded Cargo upgrade, which will double the value of your ships. If you're not getting those blueprints, beeline Physics, which will let you craft them yourself.
- All of the titanium upgrades you can see should be mostly achievable before you reach Chemistry and Calciners. There is still a slow grind to this portion of the game, but it's not nearly as bad as you think.
Have fun.
I posted the above since you wanted a strategy, but I suspect the real answer is in the spoiler text...
Building a ship will allow the Explore option to find Zebras as a trading partner. Zebras will buy slabs and sell iron and plates, with a small chance to also sell titanium. The more ships you have, the higher the chance for titanium, and the higher the amount of titanium per trade.