I can relate with the last part, now that it's 12/12 I'm like.. Well I have to stay up till 10pm or get up before 10am lol which works well with my work schedule.
I want to have the most efficient flower room possible. So as I stated g/W is somewhat important for myself as it demonstrates how much I get from the power I used. I've only ever Veged for just short of 2 months at my longest but I did not see much of a difference from that and 1 month. I'll check some more into the longer veg times.
Push for yield on good genetics and I think you will be quite happy, you get great results and your patience will love it. Mine prefer Pineapple Express, OG Kush, GG#4, and soon Dark Plasma I would imagine.