Know your gear - Knowing your gear inside out allows you to push the limits of it's planing capabilities. Every time you sail be conscious of what it takes to get your board onto a plane and how to get the most power out of your sail. Every equipment combination works differently, learn yours.
Use the chop or swell to get planning - No matter where you're sailing there is always some sort of chop or waves. Look for a good steep chop or wave that you can push your board down and caress it onto a plane. The same concepts as surfing apply here: the bigger and steeper the chop, the better push it will give you. Once you gain a bit of speed don't outrun the chop, go down the line of the chop so you can keep going "downhill" as long as possible. Also be mindful of not outrunning the wind.
Follow the path of least resistance - Once you're planing you can enjoy the benefits of your apparent wind to keep you going. Look at the water conditions ahead of you and choose the path of least resistance through the chop. Try and navigate in a way that you're almost always riding down a chop or through smooth flat water. Be careful to only make subtle adjustments so as to not disturb the sail and board.
Look for gusts- Look for gusts before they hit you. If you're not planing and you see a gust coming, prepare to give your sail a couple of pumps, spot a chop or wave you will ride down, and take advantage of the entire gust to get planning. If you are already planing you can choose to either pick up speed, or transition to head in the opposite direction taking advantage of the gust to get you planing immediately.
Stay close to catapulting - Light wind efficiency is a fine balance between generating as much power as possible by having the rig upright and forward while not being catapulted. If you never get catapulted you're not pushing your efficiency limits!
