I don't have a "favorite" way, but as for guidance I have used the Anatomy of Thrift videos and Adam Danforth's great book Butchering. (Actually, there are two: one dealing with
beef, one with everything else.)
In a more general sense, I have learned the value of leaving things in pretty big pieces, like whole shoulders, loins, etc. It makes for less time butchering, less time packaging (though perhaps uses a little more butcher paper), and better fits how we eat.
For example, this summer we got into the habit of cooking a big (say, 10+ lb.) roast, and having that as the main part of a big midday meal. Dinner would be light and easy, consisting of leftovers (sometimes cold, but usually having just been left on the counter, covered with a towel). Then we'd just keep eating on that roast until it was gone, then throw the bone(s) in the stockpot. Cook once, eat for a couple days. Not a bad method, especially in midsummer when it's hot and days are long and extra
energy is hard to come by.
The first couple
deer I shot, I cut into final "serving size" pieces, with smaller roasts, steaks, etc. But last year I did the same as with the pigs, leaving big roasts, whole loins, etc. If we wanted steaks, I could just thaw a loin and cut it into steaks. The end result was the same, but I saved a lot of time not cutting and packaging on the front end.
