I think it’s time I cull my .emacs file. I’ve got at least two packages partially stomping on each other because some package isn’t very well behaved. (ivy? avy? counsel? ivy-posframe? symon? Eh…maybe it’s one of the other 30 packages I use.)
The symptoms: Anaconda-mode flips me off, I can’t predict when I’ll get a pop-up completion menu, and blank virtual desktops try to take over my screen.
Seek Nuance 
My philosophy is that the closer you are to upstream Emacs, the less features you’ll have, but you’ll have fewer problems and better integration.
Consider icomplete and fido-mode (rather than ivy). Consider isearch rather than avy.