A good mining trip starts before you enter the mines. Clear inventory, bring enough food and decide whether the trip is for depth or materials.
Choose depth or resources as the main goal
Trying to optimize both at once can make decisions slower and inventory management harder.
Bring enough food for the planned session
Food should extend the trip enough to make preparation worthwhile without taking over your inventory.
Leave room for ore and useful finds
Starting nearly full reduces the value of every floor you reach.
Leave before the run becomes inefficient
If energy, food or space is almost gone, return and turn the haul into upgrades.