Some great tips here ,thanks to everyone who has posted.
I only have a couple to add to the list
My favourite is a dark cloth or hood,I think it can give you maybe a quarter or half a mag brighter as it blocks any stray llight or even the normal sky glow from the millions of stars.
Don't try to see deep sky objects after using the computer for a little while, even with the red screen as dull as it will effect your night vision, wait a few minutes or don't use the computer at all.
Even using a dull red light can can take a few seconds for my eyes to adjust when I am using a star chart.
Print off some charts and use them at the scope with the dullest red light you can see by.
I have an ArgoNavis DTC and set to the bare minimum brightness when observing.
Averted Vision is one of my main tools as well as moving the scope especialy for faint Nebulae which are not much brighter than the background sky.
Put as many stars as possible out of the field if trying to see very faint object as even 10th mag stars can make a difference when trying to tease out very faint galaxies.
Time spent on the object has been mentioned but I think this is one of the main things I get out of observing, trying to tease as much information out of the object as possible .
Try using different eyepieces on each object,it helps you to make up a picture in your brain as you go deeper in magnification.
Have some images handy to see if you have anyobjects in the field that don't belong there Ie Supenova.
And always try to enjoy your observing as it will make you want to come back and observe again and again,as if you dont enjoy it you will soon become an imager
Cheers
