I use a hoop to tension my work, so I tend to stitch one colour within the hoop area, provided it is not too far away from other stitches, then go onto the next colour.
Although, at the moment I am stitching Bothy Treads - Kings and Queens and they are individual little people so I am stitching and finishing each one as I go.
When someone visits this page from a link you share, you will be rewarded
I tend to break a chart down into managable areas and then stitch one colour at a time in this area otherwise i get lost and end up unpicking for hours :(
I stitch by colour to a certain point. I have to plan out my "route" so to speak so that I do not have any stitches going diagonally in the back. If there are other stitches in the back that I can use to tuck my thread under to make a right angle I will do that. Otherwise, I will end the thread and start a new one to avoid having anything run diagonally.