You're going to get hundreds of tips on how to do dishes. I'm going to pull back one philosophical layer and tell you one thing you didn't ask. Always wake up with a clean and empty sink and counter. You will start your day with minimal clutter in your view, you don't have to put anything away, things are ready for your use or you can immediately leave the house, it'll still be pristine when you get back. Doesn't matter how you do it, that's your very simple goal. Your question is like "what is your optimal vim setup", it's different for everyone and there isn't an optimal way.
Parenthetically, I rinse and load the dirty dishes as soon as they are used. You'll read a lot stuff about no rinsing. Some people have taken it to religious zeal. You will ignore that nonsense and do at least one rinse. You'll use less detergent, extend the life of your dishwasher and your drain pipes. Use the powdered detergent and use less than the recommended amount. Don't use the heat-dry cycle, crack your dish washer door with a wooden spoon after the wash is done, the residual heat will dry the dishes without using additional energy.
We have 3 kids, 3 and under, and I maintain this rule in our household, as well. Once the kids are asleep, I clear the counter, clean it, and make sure the sink is clean and any dishes that need to be washed by hand are cleaned, dried, and put away. It's made a big difference in my personal quality of life to come downstairs first thing in the morning and have a clean kitchen. I have the opinion that if I didn't stay on top of this that it would quickly cascade into messes elsewhere in our lives/home. The countertop around our sink/island is the default dumping ground, I believe, because it's convenient and the space is clear, so it acts as a containment zone.
I also quickly rinse and load dishes as soon as they are able to go in. When I cook, I go through the cookware in parallel to the cooking process. I also skip the heat-dry. We run the dishwasher after dinner every night and things are almost always fully dry by morning when I come down and unload it.
Parenthetically, I rinse and load the dirty dishes as soon as they are used. You'll read a lot stuff about no rinsing. Some people have taken it to religious zeal. You will ignore that nonsense and do at least one rinse. You'll use less detergent, extend the life of your dishwasher and your drain pipes. Use the powdered detergent and use less than the recommended amount. Don't use the heat-dry cycle, crack your dish washer door with a wooden spoon after the wash is done, the residual heat will dry the dishes without using additional energy.
Make your bed every morning also.