I would suggest that flying an accurate heading, and trusting that heading, allows spare capacity to be spent looking out. Sure, have check features along your route, but being head down in the cockpit trying to plot your route as your flight progresses is dangerous.
I've always found having check features approximately every five minutes or so works well. Also, picking the right type of checkpoint works wonders. Intersections of motorways and rivers, railways etc are ideal. Picking a village amongst villages is not so great - they all tend to look the same from the air!
MDR and VFR nav is surprisingly accurate. If you pick check features too close to each other, it is very easy to think you may be off track, and put in unnecessary drift corrections. If after a couple more check features it is still looking as though you are drifting off track, then make a correction.
The stopwatch is your friend!
All the best...