You don't need a specialized product (like Goo Gone several comments mention) to remove sticky residue. Any kind of cooking oil will do. I usually use a small dab of whatever is on hand (which in my house is olive oil, but avocado, canola, corn, etc would also be fine). Start with a very small amount, like one drop: a little can go a long way and it can be a huge mess if you overestimate how much you need. Rub it in with your finger and the gunk should come right up. Paper towel the rest off. Repeat if necessary. Extra bad spots might require a touch of gentle fingernail action.
Almost any kind of grease will work. Moisturising cream, oil, butter, engine oil and so on. It'll soften the glue and whatever residue your chemical leaves behind can be wiped off with hand sanitizer or a drop of soap. The trick, as you mention, is to use way less than what you think you'll need to avoid mess.
Yup any oil works in my experience but I've found cooking oil to be the least messy, hence that specific suggestion. But in a pinch any kind of greasy substance will do.
The only thing I would add to this is carefully use a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive on the sticker first. Should leave less mess for the goo gone to deal with.
A heat gun is also inexpensive and very useful. 3M mount you need to remove (and/or reuse)? Heat gun. Sticker? Heat gun. Frazzled threads on clothes? Heat gun. No time to properly blow dry? Heat gun! (the last one is a joke, don't do that).
I just use my nails to get it off, and most of the time, I manage to get most of the glue off by reapplying the sticker and peel it off again a few times
A plastic ice scraper will help get the bulk off, then you can get a variety of solvents for removing any residue. If it is metal then it should be fine with most solvents but check the instructions and do a test patch somewhere discreet to be sure.
If you're careful and can't just get it off with your fingernails, a razor blade is young best friend for scraping off stickers, if you're less careful they sell plastic razor blades for scraping stuff that also work pretty well.
For residue, goo gone, cooking oil, isopropyl alcohol, lighter fluid, or just some soap and water if you're careful. Or just let the residue wear off on its own if you're lazy.