The basic techinique for me is to use 3 x the altitude to be lost. Add/subtract 1 mile for each 10kts of TW/HW. If making a straight-in, add another 10 miles for slow-down until you get used to your particular airplane.
On the Whale, I also made a correction for weight @ TOD. My plan was to never use the speedbrakes during the descent...unlike most of the children of the magenta line who use the speedbrake as a crutch to poor descent planning. As pilots, we need to plan and interface to avoid having to make a reactive correction, but maybe that's just dinosaur-me. My license still says Airline Transport Pilot, not Airline Transport Dog Watching Television.
Pride, professionalism and performance prevents piss-poor performance. Which 3-P's are you? Judging by your question, perhaps the former and not the latter. Good for you.
