If the hold entry sectors aren't charted for you (they are in Oz - yay!.... but not in the US - ptooey!):
Right hand hold pattern - use your right hand / Left hand pattern use your left hand
Make a pretend pistol with the appropriate hand (fist?) ie thumb extended to represent the hammer, first finger extended to represent the barrel, and remaining three fingers clenched.
Hold your 'pistol' in front of you so that you can see the back of your hand and then touch the 1st joint below your thumbnail to your forefinger (but at the same time keeping the tip of your thumb away from the finger). For most people the following applies:
1. Forefinger/barrel represents the inbound track of the hold
2. Angle between forefinger & thumb/thumb 1st joint axis is approx. 70 deg. & is automatically oriented to represent the Teardrop/sector 2 entry.
3. Angle between first finger knuckle to fourth finger knuckle is approx. equal to the parallel/sector 1 entry. It too is automatically oriented to its entry.
When I learnt this method I found it helped hold my hand over a largish diagram of sector entries to get the orientation/angle relationship between my hand & the real thing.
In flight, hold your pistol hand against the DI/HSI with your forefinger aligned with the required holding pattern inbound course. Your heading is oriented up the DI from the bottom of the instrument panel so whatever sector of your hand it intersects is the sector entry you need to use.
It's great for pop up holding instructions. No fiddling around drawing diagrams on a bit of paper to work out the correct entry.
---------
Drift allowance: Don't buggerise around. It's either 0 deg, 5 deg in light winds, 10-15 in moderate breezes or 20-30 in strong winds. If it gets to howling gale or storm force then just be glad you got back over the aid in time to commence the next turn around the pattern waiting for FISO or
ATC to get out of bed (cough.....Shetland the middle of the night in winter in an Islander.....cough.
--------
Timing adjustment: 1 sec/kt/min outbound based on your guestimate of HWC/TWC inbound to the aid from enroute. Hint: compare GS vs TAS. Don't get too anal about it.
--------
If you have an RMI or RBI then at 1 min on the outbound it should be ~30 deg off the tail. For 2 mins then ~15 deg. If less than these then you have drifted closer to the inbound leg while on outbound and will need to allow for this in the turn inbound. If more than this then your spacing has drifted away from the inbound so expect to have to roll out of the turn inbound for a period.
-------
How to judge the inbound turn (holding pattern or teardrop approach with typical 1 or 2 min or so outbound timing):
After commencing the turn inbound, at 90 deg left to turn the RMI/RBS needle should lead by ~10 deg ie the head of the needle 10 deg above the 90/270 RB. At 45 deg left to turn the head should be ~ 5 deg above.
If more than these then roll level until the needle falls to the appropriate position then resume the turn. If less than this then you're probably going to overshoot the intercept. Either increase the rate of turn or expect to overshoot & re-intercept from the other side, or both.
-------
Keep abreast of what's coming next in the procedure using the mnemonic 'TAA'
Next Track (HDG if appropriate eg O/bound in the hold) & Time/dist limit
Altitude limit
Aid (ident still present or flags away)
I'm sure there's other things I do as a matter of course or out of habit but I've just gone into IMC with beer foggles.