I tend to go back to one of my homes before I exit for the night. But sometimes I just end up somewhere so breathtaking that I want to come back to that exact scene the next day. I recall dragging myself across glaciers for miles, clambering up snow covered hills and looking out across an expanse of sea lit by the evening sun. It was the absolute perfect time to Save and Switch Off.

Is there anyone who stops in the middle of a battle with 2 health points left, hoping it will all look better in the morning?

this one will try to make it indoors and go to sleep before login off ........it just makes it more immersive & explains the time gap between loads

as to mid combat very really ..........its a recipe for disaster especially on very high levels .....if I have to save mid combat for what ever reason.....will usually start that quest from scratch and not from my last save

now there is the option of being in the middle of nowhere ..........YES here this one will make a exception, but always has her camping gear with her so she will set up camp, will kill anything that may gobble her up when she is a sleep & then SAVES

Never mid combat...but as my characters have camping gear....camp is set up and they go to bed. ..as it won't allow sleep with enemies near...they have ta die 1st. Safe and snuggly they go to sleep.

Last night my Vigilant, Gloriana, spent the night on top of the Snowpoint Beacon tower, having killed the bandit leader there for the Jarl. The view from there is nice, when the snow lets up.

I usually try to logout from a sleeping point. If it's indoors, the better. When I reach my desktop, I then move all my saves to their "archive spot."

About the same as mentioned above. I'll set up camp or even crash out in a fort or cave if accommodations are available and the surroundings are safe. I tend to eat before sleeping and then save. One I logon again, breakfast is consumed and then on with the adventure. If I can get home, I'll go home. I've got several houses so there are sometimes options (I live at Lakeview, but having the house in Markarth is nice when on the west side of the map). Of course, if I'm on the verge of plunging into another cave, I just find a safe and flat ares for the tent. Then I'm ready to get serious once I jump back into it.

It sounds like a great idea to make a habit of sleeping at switch-off time because more often than not, I completely forget to sleep which will be slowing down my levelling

Like the others usually when my character is going to sleep. Of course I can't always due that due to the dreaded thing called real life! But I at least try to put them in a safe spot.

Other places aside from "sleeping" area's... In the CoW Library.. they are student's, so it makes sense for them to be studying... or an Inn, cause it's a good place to "catch up to a friend" and also a good place for someone to "hang out"... The characters home library, often reading a book.

I generally know the amount of time I have to play, I do push it sometimes...but I'd rather shut down a bit early and feel that my character is safe... and in a way that makes sense to pick the story back up... and that to me is what it is.. it's a story, that my characters tell me, sometimes I write that story, sometimes I don't.

Sometimes I don't know when i have to go, sometimes i just hit ESC thinking that i'll be back soon, but after an hour break, i just save, restart the game and reload from there where it stands, sometimes my computer restarts itself (unstable power) and i have to reload from the last autosave (i also often forget to save, so i relay more on the autosaves).

Ouchy

That reminds me to back-up my saves...

I've seen a few people talk about "safe." In Skyrim, everywhere one can sleep is "safe"

I miss old Morrowind's "dangerous sleeping" feature, where a Scrib can interrupt one's sleep

LoL...there's a mod for that... seriously...

Indoors somewhere. It loads faster when I start up.