in the end you will be the judge of what works for you so like the guys said its all about seat time but if i had to agree with any of the suggestions so far it would be to not waste time in first, get moving a bit but just be ready to rip it into second as soon as those rpms start getting near 6-7 then work out pedaling second.
I run m&h 23s right now and i gotta pedal the crap out of them and after that its just a judgement call for how long i ride second before i get to third, if i shift to early its a bog, too late and ive wasted time topping out a gear. Just gotta know your car man... have a good time with it.