When I get on the SDMB in the morning, I start off with a vanity search so I can check on threads I’ve been participating in. Then, I browse the forums, starting with MPSIMS, moving to IMHO, then Cafe Society, then jumping to GQ, then GD, and finally the Pit. After that it’s a free for all for the rest of the day. Occasionally I pop up to ATMB, and very very rarely read the two Comments forums.
So, how do you SDMB?
I just bump around in MPSIMS, IMHO and Cafe. I check the others when I’m really bored.
Morning vanity search to follow up on all one threads I may have participated in the prior day. Then I hit the view new threads button & read whatever grabs me.
After that I mix work with periodically checking through the day. No real system, just whatever I feel like reading. I used to always update the veiw new threads button, but I figured that not contributing to the already bogged down servers would be a good thing. So I eeny meeny miney moe and pick a forum.
Do a little work, check the boards. Do a little work, post a reply.
Repeat 'til 5pm.
Cafe, IMHO, MPSIMS, BBQ Pitt, GQ, GD.
Repeat
Repeat.
Get on with life.
Strange, I’ve never vanity searched, figured I’d kill the hampsters 
if I did. I’ll usually hit the Pit and see if there are any good flamings going, then off to MPSIMS & IMHO.
GQ, CS, IMHO, MPSIMS, GD. The Pit if nothing else is interesting. Repeat twice at work, or as many times as I need to to get caught up on threads if at home.
The Pit, then either MPSIMs, IMHO or GD depending on what mood I’m in.
If I have extra time, then I check out GQ and vanity search.
If I’ve posted anything in the past couple of days, I do a vanity search. If not, the Pit first, then MPSIMS, then IMHO and Cafe Society.
I’m usually on after breakfast until I leave the house, and again from 6:30 till bed.
Why do you do a vanity search to check the threads you posted to? Don’t you get the email notifications?
I thought vanity searches were frowned upon, as they stressed the hamsters.
(not flaming, just asking…)
Brave folk! I always thought that vanity searching was looked on with derision and here you all are busting out with the honesty! I do it once every couple of days but I never turn anything up. 
Anyway, I log in, check ATMB and then go down to the Pit and work my way up to GD. I only go into GQ maybe once a week and almost never go into the Comments forums.
start out with GQ… i’m basically a GQ person… spend a good amount of time reading/answering… do a search for any active threads that i have posted to recently, post follow ups/clarifications/insults/cites/etc. if required (search is mostly set to “yesterday”, so it’s not too much of a strain on the server, extremely rarely, and that too only when there’s not much load on the servers, do i do an “any date” search)… then move on to mpsims and imho… if there’s still time, then to the pit it is… and on days that i’m wasted, cafe society and atmb… the two comments forums i rarely ever visit…
so, to sum it up:
Home Dir: GQ
No Go: Comments / GD
Vanity Search: Yes
I’ll usually check whatever forum I last posted in, to see if there are any replies, especially if I started the thread. Lately I’ve been starting off in MPSIMS to check if there are any new posts to the Doperéal thread. Then I’ll work my way from the Pit up, and occasionally will check ATMB.
Lather, rinse, repeat. All day.
I go to the “view new posts” link and search through about 6 pages of threads from assorted fora, opening any of interest in another window.
Then if I have the time, I’ll open GD, the Pit, MPSIMS and GQ and from there open any interesting-looking threads I missed.
No ritual these days.
I tried the e-mail thing, but it was a little screwy. At any rate, I only tax the hamsters before 9AM EST, so I’m hoping I’m not being too evil.
It depends on what kind of mood I’m in at that moment. Or if I’ve posted earlier and feel like checking in on those threads. If I’m up early for work (5am) the boards move pretty fast so I’m able to keep up on everything then, but by mid-morning and through to the evenings it’s pretty difficult to even get on to read anything so my “dope fiend” personality is usually ready for it’s fix.
I tend to move down the ‘forum jump’ menu, from General Questions to the Pit. Sometimes, for variety, I move upwards. When I feel like I need an extra fix, I check the Commnents fora and ATMB. Lather, rinse, repeat, however many times I feel like.
Cafe Society, IMHO, The Pit, MPSIMS, with occasional looks at GQ and ATMB. I have never done a vanity search, I use the email notification for threads I have replied to.
It’s been stated by the mods over in ATMB that subscribing to threads is also hard on the servers. I only search for replies that occured in the past day (yesterday & newer). I’ve actually been getting better about saving threads in my Favorites folder (I’m a bit forgetful), since this would be the best way to check up on them without having to run any search at all. But one quick search early in the morning seems better than having the boards send me an email every time someone responds to a thread. I’m not looking for people to be talking about me or anything, I just don’t want any replies or questions (like yours) to go unanswered.
To correct myself a bit -
“View new threads” is also a search, so that’s actually two quick searches in the morning. If I’m able to do them by a specific time (I won’t say, why give away any secrets) the searches are fast & the hamsters don’t seem to mind.