I always intend for the sessions to be short. And to do them often. Neither usually work out that way 
I do some kind of music work every day, and bass is in the rotation.
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Whatever the schedule don’t play when you are not in a good mood. Or do it depends on the person I guess. I know I don’t like to play when I’m mad at something. Lol.
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Little and often is usually recommended. Also get a balance of structured learning and just having fun.
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One of my favorite genres of music is angsty self-deprecating 90s rock, so playing in a bad mood suits me 
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Like tonight, played my guitar for about 30 minutes; hey, my bass is right there, so I played it a while too, and got the urge to play my other bass a bit, and looked up and it had been almost 2 hours.
Just kind of happens that way.
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I find shopping for gear vs. practicing works best when I am pissed off.
Apparently I am pissed off quite a bit.
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@John_E I respectfully suggest Reggae if you’re feeling pissed off. It’s almost impossible to stay annoyed whilst playing along 
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Another good reason to listen to Reggae while watching football! You just can’t stay annoyed, even at bad officiating.
Andrew.
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What if Reggae pisses you off?
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ah yes, well that does generally do the trick, thanks for the reminder
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I try to practice every day, but I don’t worry about it when I miss a day because I’m busy or my hand is sore (like after that dang Billie Jean lesson). I find if I shoot for 3 or 5 days, if I need to miss a day I’ll rarely make it up. If playing is just a part of my day, I hit 6 or 7 days pretty consistently. I often play for an hour, but if I only want to play for 20 minutes, I play for 20 minutes. I’ve been consistent with this schedule for a year now and am really happy with it.
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I second this! Frequency beats length, big time. Every time you practice, and then rest/sleep, you’re getting extra benefits to your coordination and memory retention.
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I like my job and I’m single, so I’m usually pretty happy 
Well that pretty much describes my days off from work… Sleep, wake up and play bass, fall asleep again, wake up, play some bass… Finally go out when it’s almost dark 
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I like to keep my basses in what I call my refuge area that separates me from daily life. It’s in view of my home gym which inspires me to practice as I pass by it. I try to play at least 4 - 5 days a week & my typical sessions can last from 15 min. to 1 hour depending on how things begin to flow or not flow that day. It works for me but I don’t think there’s an ideal number. Everyone is different, everyone’s abilities are different & everyone’s life may require a different routine.
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I try to play everyday, even if it is just for a few minutes:
On workdays my normal routine is about 45 mins on guitar before I start work (I work from home since Covid started). Then around 25 mins on the drum practice pad (rudiments mainly) when I finish work. Later in the evening I will do another 30 mins or so on the drum kit.
Now I have to find somewhere to fit bass in!! Today I tried a few minutes after my morning guitar practice and planning on trying a few more minutes soon after finishing work.
Weekends vary considerably depending on what I am doing, but still try to get a bit of time on each.
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Honestly, I seem to be in the area of diminishing returns on learning new things after 10 or 15 minutes. So when I get there, I just play other stuff that I like. That way it stays fun.
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