I finally figured out what makes for a successful tracking session: simply eliminate the variables. On one level this could be seen as pre-production combined with concise decision making. Certainly those can help — but what I'm talking about is conquering the technical end of the recording process so that everything stays on track and songs get recorded. I've attempted to catalog a list of the simple ways I implement this regime, so here we go:
Use gear you know will work. Your client wants to use some cheap mics they just bought as drum overheads? Screw that. Put up a pair of mics you've used 100 times. When I do try "unknown" mics, I'm always ready to swap them out in a heartbeat if something sounds amiss. I love trying out new gear, but I never count on it until it's been run through the paces. No one hires you to pick the "wrong" mic.
Don't trust cables. If a cable even slightly cuts out, it goes in the "repair" pile. Use short runs when possible. If more than one out of a batch of similar cables goes bad, toss them all. Seriously.