Jon:
A lot will depend upon how your boat, i.e.
cockpit and house were designed.
Avoid friction. Consider which lines are best left forward. For instance with a
genoa or jib that lives on
roller furling it may not be important top bring that
halyard aft. Also, if you have an
autopilot you could consider leaving the main hal on the
mast also. You will find that you can hoist the main at least half way up by hand easily then go the last few fet on a
winch. Also, when you are reefing it is almost always necessary to go to the gooseneck so why not have the main hal there? That way you avoid a lot of friction. It is nice to have everything dump into then
cockpit but it comes at a
price. Most of the time I assume that if you are going to fly a chute you will have help on board and it's nice to have someone forward watching the chute go up so a spin hal is often best left on the
mast. Probably the best way to start the process is to try and get out on a few other boats so you can see how their
deck set up works. Like someone said already, there are many ways to do it right. A lot will depend upon your own style of sailing.