After a week of being tossed around in my usual pre-travel storm, I can finally see some calm on the horizon. (I’d better be able to, since I fly out to LA in the morning!)

For me, the best way to keep travel stress low—especially when there are demos involved—is by making sure that everything is ridiculously organized before I leave. But, because I’m doing eleven demos in four days (with 10 different projects) in the Waxman booth at CHA, I can confidently say that, this time, I took my travel organization efforts to a whole new level.

• I packed all of my pre-prepped materials and tools in a double-sided carrier with small compartments, then labeled each compartment.

• I outlined each project on its own color-coded note card (a different color for each day), so I have a quick reference on hand for the supplies and tools needed and any prep work that will need to be done before each demo.

• I created a complete demo guide for the show by combining my project cards with a master supply list and a master tool list on a binder ring.

• All supplies that were too large to fit in my carrier were sorted into individual ziploc bags and labeled by project.

It may look like I packed in a fit of OCD rage right now, but I can guarantee that I won’t be sorry when I get to Anaheim!