Sort out your dirty clothes into five piles, each of which will be washed separately:
Reds (especially non-fast)
Dark colored clothes
White clothes
Towels
Linens
Additional piles for light colored clothes, bright colored clothes, denim, or delicate apparel (whatever is appropriate).
Choose which pile you want to wash first.
Prepare all of your clothes. Empty all of your pockets of any pens, money, or important papers (although money can survive a wash). Close zippers to prevent snagging. Also, turn decorated t-shirts inside out, to eliminate peeling of decor.
Treat any heavy stains with stain remover before washing.
Add an appropriate amount of detergent into washing machine. Your detergent bottle should have a chart that tells what amount should be used for your wash load. If using a High Efficiency or front loading washing machine with soft water, use minimum recommended amount of detergent. Add liquid softener if desired. If you need to add bleach, put it in appropriate dispenser. Always handle bleach carefully as it can cause harm to skin, eyes and clothing if it splashes.
Select the appropriate water temperature. Colors are washed in cold water. Whites, under most circumstances, can be washed in warm water without problem. To kill mites, bed linens (especially pillow-cases) need hot water.
When in doubt, go with cold water, as hot water can shrink clothes.
Add clothes to the washer but do not over stuff the washer as the clothes will not get very clean if there is too much laundry in it.
After the clothes are washed, shake them out so they will dry easier and with less wrinkles.
Check the tags on your clothing to see how they should be dried. Note that some clothes may require hang drying, whereas others can be tossed in the dryer. Some samples of clothes that need to be hang dried are: bras, swim suits, delicate apparel, quick drying material like work-out wear.
Choose which drying cycle you want, whether for colors or whites. Add a dryer sheet, if desired, to soften your fabrics.
Fold, iron, or hang your clothes immediately after drying to prevent wrinkles.
Take your clothes from the laundry room and put them in the closet or drawer where they belong.
According to WikiHow, the above is what you "should" do. I don't bother separating whites and colours, because I would never get a full load of whites. Also, it doesn't offer tips on hanging out, etc.

And yes, I am one of those "peg crazies"! I find it keeps my mind active whilst doing a mundane task! So I set little rules, which have no effect on whether my washing turns out better. Clothes to be ironed at the back, using the bigger blue pegs. Always have to use two matching pegs for an item, and sometimes I'm so anal that I have to match the peg colour to the item. I also have "favourite" colour pegs, that I use for my clothes!!! And the same colour for all undies and the same colour for all socks!

But that's enough about what you didn't want to hear about!!!

DH usually puts his t-shirts inside out- I'm not sure why - either to stop fading on the line, or so that the print doesn't stick to the iron when I iron them- I then turn back right side in. I never share pegs. I only use one peg for undies and just peg the side, although my friend uses two and pegs both sides (aah, the interesting conversations you can have about washing!!)

That's all I can think of now! I will pay attention to my next load and may add some more!