Any tricks for setting my jaws on a Lathe?

Hello out there! This is my first post here so forgive me if this is a dumb question.

Are there any tricks for figuring out where to set my jaws on a three jaw chuck without so much trial and error?

Right now, I just mount them where I think they should go, and try to put the work in. If it fits but has too much room, I bring each one in a little. If it doesn't fit, I bring them each out a little. When I find a good spacing I count the grooves on each jaw and re-adjust until they are evenly spaced. Then, I tighten them up and turn the spindle on to see if the part is running close to true. If it isn't, I put a dial indicator on the OD (or ID if there is one) and hand turn the spindle until I reach the high point the smack it to within a thou or two with a brass hammer. This seems very tedious and time consuming. Do you guys know of any tricks to speed up this process?

BTW, this is for work that cannot be used with collet pads due to oddball diameters. Also, I mostly do just a few of any particular part so boring soft jaws is often not an option either.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!