This is my second year, too. I lost all but one hive over the winter and decided to do some splits. I went about learning how to do so, and very quickly got turned around, coming up with plans that were more and more extravagant and befuddling. Then, in one of those moments that sometimes happens, I realized that I knew some people who could show me how they do it. What I learned (again) is that I readily complicate things. I do far better when seeing and doing than reading sometimes.
So, I went over to help someone put together their own splits. The first time involved getting the queen cells drawn, the second making the actual splits, and the third checking on the splits. It was one of those moments like when you are assembling something out of the box, but it isn't going well, and then you realize: "Oh, when they say put tab A into slot B, they mean to put tab A into slot B!"
As Brad wrote, as long as the split has what it needs (pollen, nectar, brood, queen cell, nurse bees, space), you will have done everything you should. It looks like we have both used the same method (OTS a.k.a. Mel Disselkoen method, though I did not notch the cells). In my hands, all of the queens emerged in the splits and 4/5 were mated. I don't attribute that outcome to some level of skill, but rather plain ol' dumb luck and a handful of dragonflies.
Make the splits; you'll see that it is no big deal as long as you think about what the bees will need. You'll also have the chance to solidify your understanding of bee math! Oh, and also have a plan in place for what to do when the splits do or do not take off.
