Best Practices for Maximizing AVG Protection

I rely on AVG to protect my devices, but I want to be sure I’m using it to its full potential.
Do you recommend keeping all shields on by default, or customizing them for performance?
How often should I run deep scans in addition to real-time protection?
Are there specific settings you’ve found most effective against new or hidden threats?
Any personal tips to strengthen AVG protection beyond the default setup would be great!