I usually do a tiny drop of lube after a cleaning, seems to prolong the life of the bearing and maximize the time before I have to clean the bearing again. One of my yoyos got its bearing cleaned and lubed back in September. I haven’t had to touch the bearing since, yoyo plays great.
Excess string - I’ve been lazy when I pull out a new Kitty String. I use the string at full length and most of the time don’t bother to cut off that half-inch of excess string that sticks out. It doesn’t get in the way and saves me a step of having to dig out a multi tool.