Gardening does not have to take all your time. Just a little. Especially if you have a system set up, it takes minimal time. Keep good records and it gets way easier.
These are exactly what I do in my own garden everyday:
Turn on plant lights
Especially if you have plants you brought inside for winter, make sure they have supplementary light. I keep many plants indoors year round and they require plant lights everyday. So first thing in the morning, I turn on my plant lights. The lights get turned off before bed, however if you have lights on in a room you don't sleep in and forget to turn them off, don't worry. The plants don't care.
Check each plant
When I turn the plant lights on, I do a cursory look over of each plant.
Are the leaves yellowing or showing any sign of issues? (drooping, holes, etc)
Is the soil dry? (stick a finger in the soil, if it's moist, leave it be.) If the soil is dry, it's time to water.
I do have an app that I mark when they are watered in. It also reminds me when to water, which is a great rule of thumb but always trust your finger over an app.
Water what needs watered
Another thing to do in the garden everyday is water, though not every plant every day. Bottom watering is ideal. If that isn't an option then top watering is fine just be sure the soil gets thoroughly watered.
In the winter, I like to use a humidifier or a spray bottle to add humidity. So refill the humidifier or spray them all down.
Also in winter, you need to water less often as a lot of plants go dormant or stop growing in the cold weather. They may not do that inside, so if you see it actively growing then you can continue your watering and fertilizing as normal. If it is not actively growing, do not fertilize in the winter and water about every two weeks.
Insects
If there are pests, I treat them once a week in the morning. Generally my biggest pest problems indoors are gnats and occasionally spider mites. (a fan on the plant babies for a bit each day helps avoid spider mites too!)
Having a lot of plants also makes a great habitat for spiders. Which is fine for my garage overwinters, but not so much my room. I spray my room for spiders once a month (avoiding the plants, but honestly most of the sprays don't hurt plants and if they are chronically indoor plants it's not a big deal).
Outdoor plants
In the warmer months when I actively have a garden outside, I do the same things. I also add fertilizer to the water about once a week.
I trim any dead branches and harvest anything that can be harvested. In the winter, most of my garden is covered to prevent frost damage as my garden is all in pots. So for them I check once a week to make sure there are no pest issues, frost damage or water needs. Because I tend to worry, I also end up attempting to winterize them even more.
That's it, once you've gotten a good system down with knowing when to water and fertilize gardening does not take much time at all.
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