When you take that early Monday morning flight, you know you're kicking off a marathon. If you're a business traveler, you'll have five days of meetings, late nights and team dinners that deprive you of sleep, push your personal relationships to the periphery and generally dominate every ounce of your life. This is the path the business traveler has chosen. So, any measures that reduce anxiety and otherwise make life easier are priceless.

For me, this meant developing a pre-flight ritual that brought me a little more sleep-time, helped me remember to pack everything and ensured that I'd have nothing to worry about once I stepped out the door.

1. Pack to run: Don't put off packing your bags. Get everything ready the night before, and leave your luggage by the door. Put your wallet, keys and cash in a place where you'll remember them. I used to put them on my laptop keyboard. Since I checked my e-mail before leaving, I knew I'd see these important items.

2. Check in the day before: You'll probably get a better seat, and you'll save time at the airport. Print your boarding pass at home, and put it with your keys and wallet.

3. Get your cables together: Laptop power supply, iPod cable, Blackberry or cell phone charger ... bundle them all up in advance. Forgetting this stuff isn't a disaster, but it is a colossal annoyance.

4. Develop a path: Retrace your steps every Monday morning. For example: bed to coffee maker (turn it on) to shower. Grab coffee after shower, and take it to living room. Get dressed, drink coffee, check e-mail. Pack laptop, and pick up bags by the door. Leave.

5. Stick to your usual transportation: Find one town car company and learn to love it. Use it every week. The company will get to know you, leading to the predictability you crave. And, as it develops a track record with you, you'll trust it more. That's one less thing to worry about!

Filed under: Business, North America, United States