"ive heard so much stuff from pulling the roots to just cutting the branches off but do i leave the leaves on it or cut them off before i pull it or right after i pull it"

It depends:
On Relative Humidity.
On the strain.
On the bushiness.

In short, much of it is a judgement call.

I snap off the big fans first.
A couple branches at a time.
Then I take those branches for my "workin' weed.
(Don't take more than 20% at a time so the plant can recover.)

When you harvest early the high tends to be more "energizing"
I wait a week or so and take another 20%.
Then I let some trich heads turn amber and take the rest by cutting just below each node from the top on down.
That makes a handy little "hook" for hanging them.
I trim each branch twice.
A rough trim on all of them, and make butter, or compost, depending of frostiness.

Then I start over.
The second trimming is sugar leaf and it goes in the hash pile along with cosmetically challenged buds.

I use that little hook to hang the branches on a taut string, away from strong light, for 4 to 7 days, depending on the R.H..
Then I snap the buds from the branches, pop 'em in a jar, add a Caliber II RH meter and burp, or not, as needed.

That answer your question?

Aloha,
Weezard