Typically I browse the HN front page down to the third or fourth page a few times/day (not logged in) and then browse the 'New' section (logged in) and browse down to the 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th page page to upvote things that seem interesting (to me).

Not sure how a single data point helps nor even what the 'question behind the question' is but hth.

[Edit to add that I have 'Show Dead' enabled when logged in]