324 — Nervous Before a Big Moment? The Ritual That Gets You in the Right Headspace

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Have you ever had a big moment coming up, like a presentation or an interview, and spent the final few minutes frantically cramming? We often tell ourselves if we just review our notes one more time, we’ll feel confident when we walk in.
 
But research shows that last-minute cramming is probably making you perform worse, not better. And if you’re a crammer like I am, I have good news—there’s a much better way to spend those final few minutes before a high-pressure moment.
 
Some of the things I talk about are:
 

• Why cramming before a big moment quietly raises your anxiety instead of lowering it—and the interview that taught me this the hard way.
• The play that works for athletes at the foul line and for the rest of us before a sales call, a performance review, or dinner with the in-laws.
• The three science-backed reasons a simple ritual calms your nerves and sharpens your focus (no lucky socks or magical thinking required).
• My own two-step pregame ritual—and how I leaned on it when Good Morning America gave me less than an hour’s notice to go live on national TV.
• The three pieces of a ritual that actually works
• The one mistake that makes most people make

Key Takeaways:

• Last-minute cramming increases anxiety, potentially negatively impacting performance.
• A pregame ritual can effectively prepare you mentally and physically for high-pressure situations.
• Why pre-game rituals are so powerful.
• The three parts to incorporate into your ritual to make it effective.