Any non-essential setup, like entertainment, gets done during warmup. Preferably during the first, easy, interval. It’s usually about 3 minutes, that’s plenty of time.
My problem is morning rides, where I stall by waiting to finish my coffee. But I only do easy rides in the morning, so it’s so much more efficient to drink the coffee while I ride…
Well I live in an apt so I have to walk my bike and trainer to our gym every day. So that kinda sucks.
Wait, you bring your bike and trainer to the gym? What’s wrong with using it in the apartment?
I have a relatively small, 1bd apt that’s not on the ground floor, and I use a wheel-on fluid trainer. I once tried the trainer in my apt and didn’t even hit 100W before I was like, “OH, yeah, I am definitely being an asshole right now.” Even ignoring that, if I built a damping plate or bought a quiet DD trainer, it’s still a bunch of space I don’t really have, so I’d have to set it up every time anyway. I don’t really mind, it’s just an added 5-10 min. It’s not ideal, but that’s why I’m directing my wheel-off smart trainer money into my house down-payment fund. 
Ah, that stinks. Good on you for sticking to it. I think I’d be too lazy.
I thought I’d hate it at first! And while this might be self justification, I find a little value in physically and mentally ‘separating’ my spaces. I like that I have a place where I go, get ‘work’ done, and leave. For that matter, a pain cave/garage would do it too well enough too. I just like mentally blocking. That, and carrying the Kurt is good for my little cyclist arms.
on (scheduled) hard days i spend an embarrassing amount of time drinking coffee and deciding whether i’m up for it.
I should just be jumping on the trainer and doing an extended warmup
For me, it has worked best to prep your next workout at the end of the current one. I’m also very much a creature of habit and try to be very efficient. As a ride ends EVERYTHING gets put away in the exact same spot, that way I know right where it will be for the next ride.
Generally, I prepare my breakfast the night before as well as prep the next days lunch. My goal is to remove every obstacle that I have control over. Also, anytime I have a chance to sit down in the evening I look at stuff to add to my entertainment playlists. On nearly every platform I have a playlist labeled trainer. Anytime I get a notification or see something that I think I can process (mentally) in a workout I add it to the appropriate list.
Pairing Zwift and TR to the same device via Ant and BT is probably the biggest one.
I’m super efficient with this:
I’ve got my trainer bike always sat on the kickr in the garage.
same Spotify playlist on shuffle
Trekz headphones next to my bike
fans use a remote control that is velcro’d to my side table
gels within reach of the bike.
I have all my bibs on a shelf in my office/cave
all water bottles are in the bottle drawer. water is in the tap.
So I just have to walk in, tighten the wheel-on 4 turns, switch on the laptop, click TR, get on the bike and start pedalling.
I am so envious! That kind of permanent setup is the goal! I do mostly use the same spotify playlist, but always contemplate if I should switch it up!
The idea to limit media-choice to the warmup is also very clever!
Same for me except for the trainer model. My bike is facing the laptop sitting on my table saw. (Don’t worry, the table saw isn’t plugged in.) Entertainment is the TrainerRoad Podcast or GCN, which I select during the warmup. For extra hard workouts, I skip the entertainment; otherwise, it gets in the way. Yeh, my laptop takes a little time to get going.
Sitting down on my trainer, start the calibration and warm-up and then realizing I did put the HR strap around my chest, but forgot to connect the unit to the strap.
Happened more than once 
Yeah i learned my lesson. Next time, just some youtube
I’m usually pretty organized, but the one thing that ruins me is never doing my laundry on time. I consistently fail to realize that I don’t have a sports bra or two socks to my name until about 5 minutes before I get on the bike.
Well that one is hard to get around quickly, easier to just skip hooking up entertainment!
Plot twist: those 2 programs are the malware.
Now that sounds like a perfectly good excuse for kit shopping! Buy a couple more.
I hardly spend time looking at the data. A couple numbers give me all the info I need and I see those on the way from the bike to the charging station.