Listening time and habits


Dear all,

I'm sure this is going to be all over the map, but I'm wondering about how folks structure their time around listening, and how you negotiate listening with partners, family, and even neighbors. 

For example, I find listening daily is difficult, though lately I've tried listening to an album side before work, which is a different kind of listening. Mostly, I save up time to just disappear into music for a whole evening. I find I need to forget the world to really listen, and that means not having to watch the clock. 

My wife likes to listen to music in the car and while doing other things. Clearly, for me, it's the opposite. 

How do you manage your music time?

Paul.
paulburnett
Agreed, noromance, though a little music is a pleasant start to the day. It almost has to be a mini-vacation so I can feel really free to dive into my collection. There is a flow to moving from one piece to the next, a queue starting to stack up in my head, that is impossible with just 20 minutes, or even an hour. 

Neighbors have never been an issue where I live now, but I (mostly) kept respectable hours and volumes during the apartment years. I do pay attention to the forums about how audiophiles manage neighbors, especially with the right gear. Elizabeth, I believe, has talked about the merits of her Maggies in her condo. Puts the music in the room, not through the walls. 

Jtcf, I really like the idea of planning a regular weekly listening session. Difficult to manage on my part, but it's a goal worth striving for!
I built the wife a killer ht system as she likes tv more so she is happy in that room.
Leaves me free to retreat to my room and forget the rest of the world exists and relax for a good few hours each evening.

One advantage of non sub division 1.5 acre lot and daughter at university..
Oh and it helps that generally I HATE people.......

I find that if I play music during the day , which I do a lot, it tends to be more background. Even though it is still good I am not enjoying it or revelling in it as I do at night while sprawled in my big chair.
Since I am now retired, I have a lot of time to listen to my systems.  From around 11 in the morning , until 3-4 in the afternoon, I am listening to my main rig in the living room.  Usually around 4pm, my wife likes to watch Ellen on TV, so I retire to my man cave upstairs which has another system and I listen to it and surf the web as my computer is also in that room.  I average 4-5 hours a day on the main rig and another 3 hours on my other system.  Life is good.  
Like you , my listening time is at a premium, I share the room my system is in with my family as it is our living room. My system is set up in near field and is the nicest system I have ever owned, will probably be my last system as I am 68 and retired and have spent the last 10 years getting to where I am, so no more shopping except when something might fail. My listening sessions are late night and early into the morning and so rewarding and anything less will not satisfy that need. An album side or listening to a CD while doing something around the house will not satisfy the need of playing 6 or 7 albums in a row and just relaxing, getting lost in the music, no casual listening here will satisfy that need, so I feel you man. I have put together a very good headphone system in my office, after adding phono and a good tube phone stage to it I find my self up their listening quite a bit lately. BTW, great post. Enjoy the music
My listening room is in the basement and I usually listen there, alone, after my family goes to bed for the night. I usually try to listen for an hour or so. Sometimes I'll start a listening session earlier and get in a couple of hours. I also sometimes listen for an hour at lunchtime (I work from home).

Rarely does anyone come down and listen with me. However, I cherish the times they do....

I do get together for a listening session with a couple of neighbors occasionally. Those sessions sometimes go into the wee hours of the morning, like 3-4 am. Good times....