Watering cycles should go from very damp to nearly dry. Keep in mind that the plants usually grow the fastest just as the soil is drying out. A good soil mix with the right level of drainage will only hold the right amount of water and will let excess run out. Things like Perlite are added to the soil mix until it no longer holds too much liquid. With the average good soil mix, you want to wet it until a handful drips a few drops when squeezed. Once you use this method for wetting soil as it's first mixed, you'll see what it should look like when at the correct amount of moisture.
Let at least the top third of the soil dry out completely before watering. When you do water, spraying the soil surface beforehand will help it absorb water more evenly. Water slowly. The faster you water, the more will just run out the bottom of the pot. Getting to know how much to water your particular soil mix in your size pots until it is all damp requires some experience. Many growers don't wet all the soil in their pots when they water and don't realize it, at least sometimes. While watering too fast can create runoff, the liquids will also run out the bottom when the soil is saturated. If your mix doesn't hold too much water then you can just wet it completely until the water you give it simply runs out the bottom. A little runoff at each watering helps to clean the soil but you want to avoid causing too much because it washes nutrients away.
