Gosh, that all seems complicated...
1. Check general weather situation using excellent NWS website where you can read the internal chitchat among the forecasters
2. If any likelihood of icing over mountains (we have lots) decide not to go.
3. Get route and flight plan from DUATS, then get flight briefing.
4. Quick shufty at VFR and IFR charts to see how route looks, gotchas like SUA etc.
5. Just before leaving home, repeat briefing, file flight plan online unless it's guaranteed perfect VFR.
It helps that I pretty much have flown in every dierction within 3 hrs or so already.
n5296s