Finally starting on my Ascended armour! I actually like the time-gated materials, though I know that's an unpopular opinion. It evens things out for me, so I don't just rush it. Log in, play a bit, make the things you can, refine what you can that's on cooldown, then log out. The delay between ecto mat refinement gives me time to build up some of the other materials I'll need. Sure, it's going to take me a month or more to make a full Ascended armour set, but it gives me a nice bunch of goals to go for.
Especially since I'm making it myself, not just buying the components off the AH.