I start off with schematics. People underestimate the need for a clear schematic. On the schematics, I tend to place components approximately where they will appear on the PCB. This gives me an idea of how traces are to be routed. I divide my schematics into virtual blocks - not actually marked on the schematic. For example one block would be a 3.3V buck powrer supply; another might be a 9DOF sensor area (mag/acc/gyro.) When it comes to a layout, I place major components first and attempt to fit the smaller blocks into the free space as long as traces are kept short.
I rarely if ever use the autorouter, even on complex designs. No autorouter, no matter how good, can work as well as routing by hand, in my honest opinion.
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