I wipe my chain off with a rag after every ride, and re-lube it every time I get caught in the rain or every 7 rides or so. Please note that I use a "dry lube" (Rock and Roll Gold) which is something different from traditional lube. For me it works and I avoid over-lubing this way, dry lube doesn't "last" as long. I also generally wipe off the frame when I wipe off the chain - and this gives me a chance to quickly eye-ball everything for any problems. As I have a very light carpet in my apartment, and all my bikes live in my bedroom, I also wipe off the tires and this also allows me to look for anything I may have picked up in the ride.

All of this takes less time than it takes to type it out