I meditate like this: At first I get into a comfortable position (anything but lying down because this makes you fall asleep) and start to count my breaths. I do this till I reach 30. It doesn't matter if your mind wanders as long as you keep getting back when you notice it. You can also focus on a image in your mind or a spot on your body. Whatever feels good for you is fine. This is Focal meditation. What I do isn't recommended for beginners (it took me about 4 weeks of practice) because I chain multiple techniques together.
Another method would be void meditation. When I do this I just try to clear my mind a little and then be aware of all my senses at once. You could say that this is like focal meditation but it isn't because you don't focus on one specific thing. Whenever a thought comes into my mind I just ignore it or force it away and get back to the awareness. This is however just one way of void meditating.
Well these two techniques are the main structures of meditating. They can differ in their details however.