I'm usually pretty good at getting ready for games but I haven't had the time to prepare for tonight's Pathfinder game. I'm usually quite casual about game prep, but then the games I usually run aren't as involved as Pathfinder - I'm used to running simple systems for larger groups, such as Star Wars D6 or Dragon Warriors and a much more complicated system requires a bit more attention.
The saving grace for me is the fact that my gaming buddy Jason helps with the general in-game rules but, as he's one of the players, I need to keep 90% of the details away from him. And I'm still getting used to CR ratings.
Usually, I only need about an hour to prepare an evening's gaming (I put all my hours of work into the pre-campaign prep) as I like to make sure I'm up to speed with where the players have been, what they're doing, and what comes next. I'm a sandbox game GM so I like to design situations and not stories so that takes a bit of pressure off, and I enjoy winging games anyway so that I can adapt to player choices, problems and moods.
Still - this is Pathfinder, so I hope that a lack of preparation doesn't ruin the evening's gaming.
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Just go with the flow. Most of the times, the players provide hints and hooks at to what they want to do in the game. If you love winging, then it shouldn't be a problem. Some DMs are uncomfortable with improvisation, others are not. In any case, keep the PCs the main focus and everything will work out. My experience tells me that previous adventures provide a solid ground to stand on. It's easier to improvise after a few sessions because you've established many elements of the campaign.
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