I have this down to a routine:
1) Have MR Deals as my homepage. Anytime I need to go on the net, I will see what's going on

2) Check every few hours; including via my smartphone

3) Have a calendar already planned with up to 1 year in advance the days that I think I can go (usually means I input holidays on there so I can target specific long weekends that a fare is available for)

4) Book first, ask questions later

I'd recommend subscribing to the forum for updates but the email alerts don't come in fast enough to catch certain fares.