In all circumstances we should try to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra while thinking, feeling, willing, breathing, hearing, seeing, speaking, touching, tasting, waking, passing, bathing, dressing, walking, sitting, driving, working, relaxing, sleeping, dreaming and dying.
In Kali-yuga, the mind is so lazy that it wants to quit without even trying. If one is not immediately successful, the mind will say – "Oh. I cant do it. I quit!".
The most essential point of avoiding bad association is to give up the bad association of one's materialistic mentality.
The bird of the mind flies on two wings: the past and the future. Cut off the wings! Be here, now: hear, chant and remember – love, serve and surrender.
Chanting the holy name without service attitude produces sound but no divinity – like a gun firing blanks, instead of bullets.
Only if mercy (of Vaisnavas) descends, we ascend (in spiritual life).