We load haphazardly through the day, though anything that I would predict would be required for the night time meal I would hand wash immediately rather than dump in the dishwasher for the person cooking to have to clean first.

Starting the washer generally falls to me, and wile I will shift items to fit as much in as possible, what I mostly fix are things like: placing a large item where the rotor will hit it, or cutlery with the handles up in the basket which can actually stop the bottom rotor spinning if a forks' prongs point through the bottom.