My bride and I have dealt with the slippery slope by scheduling ride days. We usually take a good training ride on Tuesday morning. We take another recovery ride - smell the roses - on Wednesday. We then do a longer ride on Thursday morning, up to abut 35 miles and take Friday off. We then do our "club" ride on Saturday and take Sunday and Monday off. If we feel like going for a gentle spin on Sunday or Monday afternoon/evening, we'll tour the city and stop and visit with folks along the way.
(So far our "club" consists of us and a lady friend from church, and her 75 yr old father. Once a month her 70 yr old uncle comes up from Tucson and dusts us. He's good for a 20mph pace. He gets his exercise by riding at his pace and returning to check on us every 15 - 30 minutes.)