I think that you're worrying way too much about tube wear. Life is short; just use it and be happy.
Tube Preamps Should Have This Feature
So it's late or you just want some casual listening for a short time. "Should I fire up my tube pre for 30 minutes?". My answer is "No". Why not let me flip a switch (or push in the volume control) to put my pre into "bypass" mode? Bypass would, effectively, convert your pre into a passive device, keeping the tubes dark.
This sounds useful to me.