The amount of time dedicated to PTD depends on your martial arts system(s), life-goals, marital arts goals, and few other variables.
If your martial arts system is Muay Thai, then you need to spend a lot more time on increasing your threshold, because the system demands it and you can’t go far if you are low on that threshold scale. There are other systems that require much less time spent on that. It all depends.
As for us and what WE do, is to consider several variables before destroying our fists, shins and few other body parts. Consider a ball-part general ratio of the existing four ranges: Kicking, punching, clinching, and grappling. As you move from kicking range towards grappling range, the amount of your potential energy increases while the amount of the kinetic energy of your opponent decreases ——that is IF we assume you are well-rounded in all ranges, and you are in fact controlling superior positions over your opponents as you are making these range transitions. If this is the landscape you play in, then you don’t need to spend too much time increasing your pain threshold (PT). In such fights, there is less need for tough iron knuckles, but maybe more need for a well-timed headbutt or a knee. With headbutts and knees, it is not necessary for you to bash your head or your knees into a makiwara 30 minutes a day or even 5 minutes a day, especially if you are not planning on participating in a 12 rounds world championship head-bashing makiwara tournament.
So in short, you need to asses your martial arts goals and dedicate your time on developing your pain threshold based on your martial arts system and the goals you may have in training that system. It’s all good if you are aware of that!
All that being said, everyone DOES need to have some amount of pain tolerance (threshold). Self-defense is not quite like golfing. Sooner or later you may get hit (no, you will get hit), and being a little used to the pain can help you come out of that state of daze faster, if any. Moreover, this threshold can help you fight with less mental interruption and can directly affect the outcome of your fights. But my recommendation is, if you are not fighting in a hardcore martial system, and if you are NOT planning on participating in any professional fights, then don’t spend too much time on your PTD. Try to invest more of your valuable time on footwork, timing, distance control, body mechanics, rhythm and so on. Also, in the long run, you can enjoy a better and healthier life style than trying to deal with arthritis and all kinds of joint and muscle issues when you grow a little older. See what your needs and goals are and try to plan the healthiest and the wisest training regiment for yourself. That’s my recommendation.
SHAHRAM MOOSAVI