What I’ve learned about how to prepare for high-pressure moments — from the stage, the set, and the space
between.
Navigate this Guide
- What Are High-Pressure Moments?
- The Stuntman’s Preparation Framework
- The Importance of Presence in Preparing for High-Pressure Moments
- The 24-Hour Pre-Performance Protocol (Checklist)
- When Preparation Becomes Procrastination
- Conclusion and Practical Considerations
- Frequently Asked Questions
Most people think preparation is about cramming information in the hours before a big moment. After 15 years of stunt work and hundreds of high-pressure performances, I’ve learned the truth: how to prepare for high-pressure moments has nothing to do with the event itself—and everything to do with what happens days before.
The first time I reversed a semi-truck for 55 miles at 14 mph for a Guinness World Record, people assumed the preparation started when I climbed into the cab. It didn’t. It started three weeks earlier with sleep schedules, meal timing, and mental rehearsal.
What Are High-Pressure Moments?
High-pressure moments are those situations where the stakes feel elevated, the margin for error seems slim, and your performance truly matters. They’re not limited to stunt work or stage performances.
They could also be:
- Job interviews that could change your career trajectory
- Critical business presentations to key stakeholders
- Difficult conversations with loved ones or team members
- Performance reviews, pitches, or negotiations
- Public speaking engagements or media appearances
- Athletic competitions or artistic performances
What makes these moments high-pressure isn’t just the external stakes—it’s the internal weight you carry. The fear of failure. The desire to succeed. The awareness that this could define where your life will go next.
Understanding how to prepare for high-pressure moments means recognizing that these situations aren’t isolated events. They’re the culmination of everything you’ve done leading up to them.
Ask most people how they prepare for something important, and they’ll tell you about what
they do in the hours before it happens.
They’ll talk about reviewing their notes. Practising their lines. Running through the plan
one more time.
And all of that has its place. I’m not dismissing it.
But here’s what I’ve noticed after years of performing, speaking, and showing up for
high-stakes moments:
Preparation rarely begins when the event begins. It starts much earlier than that.
The Stuntman’s Preparation Framework
In stunt work, preparation isn’t optional; it’s survival. Over the years, I’ve developed a three-phase framework that separates adequate preparation from exceptional readiness:
- Physical Preparation – Your body’s condition and energy levels
- Mental Preparation – Your clarity of purpose and emotional state
- Presence Preparation – Your ability to adapt in real-time
Most people focus exclusively on the material—what they’re going to say or do. But true mastery comes from preparing all three dimensions. Here’s how to apply this framework to your own high-pressure moments.
Phase 1: Physical Preparation Starts the Night Before
The night before matters. More than most people give it credit for. When I was doing stunt work, I learned quickly that the condition you arrive in is already half the performance. You can’t show up depleted, distracted, or mentally somewhere else and expect the work to carry itself.
Sleep isn’t just rest – it’s when your brain consolidates learning and your nervous system resets. One night of poor sleep reduces cognitive performance by 20-30%. For high-stakes performance, this is the difference between fluid adaptation and mental fog. I treat the night before a stunt like the stunt itself – non-negotiable.
The same should apply to your presentations, pitches, and performances.
The science backs this up. Research from Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine found that even one night of restricted sleep (6 hours or less) reduces cognitive performance, reaction time, and emotional regulation by up to 30%.
Your nervous system needs rest to reset. Treat sleep like part of your preparation protocol, not an afterthought.
The physical and mental state you walk in with sets the ceiling for what’s possible. The same applies to anything high-stakes—a presentation, a difficult conversation, a performance, a pitch.
Here’s what actually matters the night before:
- Sleep quality – Seven to eight hours isn’t optional; it’s foundational
- Nutrition – What you eat affects your energy and mental clarity
- Conversations – Who you talk to and what you discuss shapes your mindset
- Digital boundaries – Screen time before bed impacts sleep quality and mental rest
- Mental rehearsal – Visualizing success, not rehearsing failures
The event doesn’t start when you walk in the room. It starts with how you treated yourself the night before. So the first question worth asking isn’t about your material—it’s about your condition.
Are you arriving as the best version of yourself — or the most exhausted one?
This is the foundation of how to prepare for high-pressure moments effectively.
Phase 2: Mental Preparation – The Anchor Question
Before every keynote, I ask a simple question. Not to the audience. Not even out loud necessarily. But as a genuine check-in with myself before I step into the work:
What would make this an absolute slam dunk for you?
It sounds simple. Almost too simple. But the answer to that question becomes my anchor. Everything else gets built around it.
Because here’s the thing—without an anchor, preparation can become noise. You can fill your head with more information, more talking points, more contingencies, and arrive more cluttered than when you started.
An anchor doesn’t add more. It cuts through to what actually matters. Ask yourself:
What’s the one outcome that, if it happened, would make this whole thing worth it?
Maybe it’s landing one key point that shifts someone’s perspective, or having a genuine connection with one person in the room, or simply staying calm and present throughout.
Start there. Let the rest of your preparation serve that anchor. This clarity is essential when learning how to prepare for high-pressure moments without overwhelming yourself.
Phase 3: Presence Over Memorization
Here’s something that took me a while to learn. As the moment gets closer—as the countdown begins—the instinct is to cram. To review one more time, rehearse that transition again, or lock in the information so tightly that nothing can go wrong.
But I’ve found that instinct, while understandable, is often working against you. There comes a point in preparation where more information stops helping and starts interfering.
What I try to do instead—especially in the final stretch—is shift from memorizing to noticing. I ask myself things like:
- Does this story still feel relevant?
- Does this message actually serve the audience in front of me today?
- Is there something I’m holding onto out of habit that doesn’t belong here anymore?
Maybe I’ll look at the company’s website one more time—not to learn more, but to get a feel for how they speak and what they care about. Maybe I’ll arrive early and chat with people before walking on stage.
Not to gather data. Just to listen. I’m trying to read the room before I get in the room. And that requires a different kind of attention than cramming. It requires you to be present enough to pick up on what’s actually in front of you—not just what you expected to find.
This shift from internal focus to external awareness is the secret to preparing for high-pressure moments while staying flexible and responsive.
The Importance of Presence in Preparing for High-Pressure Moments
I think we’ve been taught a slightly incomplete idea of what preparation means.
We treat it like a packing exercise. Gather enough material, rehearse enough times,
cover enough bases — and you’ll be ready.
And the material matters. I’m not suggesting you walk in unprepared. The research, the
practice, the rehearsal — it all has value.
But the material only takes you so far.
What actually bridges the gap between a prepared person and a truly effective one is
presence. The ability to be fully in the moment and responsive to what the moment
actually needs — not just what you anticipated it would need.
In stunts, we prepared obsessively. But we also trained ourselves to stay adaptive.
Because the set changes. The conditions shift. Something unexpected happens. And
when it does, the person who performs best isn’t the one who memorised the most. It’s
the one who can read what’s in front of them and respond.
True preparation isn’t just about having the right material. It’s about becoming
present enough to know what the moment needs.
Those are two different things. And both of them require work.
The 24-Hour Pre-Performance Protocol (Checklist)
Here’s a practical checklist you can use for any high-pressure moment. Adapt it to your situation:
24 Hours Before
- Review your anchor question and clarify your one key outcome
- Prepare your materials, then stop adding new content
- Eat nourishing meals at regular intervals
- Limit caffeine after 2 PM
- Do light physical movement to release tension
- Spend 10 minutes visualizing success, not avoiding failure
The Night Before
- Finish all work at least 2 hours before bedtime
- Avoid screens for 60 minutes before sleep
- Write down any lingering worries to clear your mind
- Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep
- Prepare your outfit and materials so the morning is stress-free
Morning Of
- Wake up with time to spare—no rushing
- Eat a balanced breakfast with protein
- Do 5 minutes of breathing or meditation
- Review your anchor question one final time
- Arrive early to acclimate to the environment
60 Minutes Before
- Stop reviewing content completely
- Connect with people already in the room
- Notice the energy and mood of the space
- Do a quick body scan to release tension
- Remind yourself: presence over perfection
This protocol embodies how to prepare for high-pressure moments systematically while avoiding last-minute panic.
When Preparation Becomes Procrastination
Here’s a paradox: sometimes what we call preparation is actually avoidance in disguise. We keep researching, rehearsing, and refining because taking action feels risky.
Signs you’re preparing instead of procrastinating:
- You’re adding new information when you should be consolidating
- You’re rehearsing the same section repeatedly out of anxiety
- You’re researching ‘one more thing’ instead of resting
- You’re tweaking slides instead of sleeping
- You’re seeking more opinions when you already have clarity
Real preparation builds confidence. Fake preparation feeds anxiety. The difference? Real preparation has a stopping point. It knows when enough is enough.
At some point, you have to trust the work you’ve done and shift from gathering to being. That’s the real lesson in how to prepare for high-pressure moments without burning out before you begin.
Conclusion and Practical Considerations on How to Prepare for High-Pressure Moments
If you have something important coming up, a presentation, a meeting, a conversation,
a performance, here are a few questions worth sitting with beforehand:
- What condition am I arriving in? Sleep, energy, mental state. These are part of
your preparation, whether you treat them that way or not. - What’s my anchor? What’s the one outcome that, if it happened, would make this
whole thing a success? Build everything around that. - Am I memorising or noticing? At some point, more cramming stops helping. Shift
your attention outward. Read the room before you’re in it. - Am I present enough to be adaptive? Can I hold my preparation loosely enough?
to respond to what actually happens — not just what I planned for?
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be present.
What’s one thing you do to prepare that most people overlook? Drop it in the
comments — I’d genuinely love to know.
And if you’re navigating a big moment right now and want a thinking partner to help you
get clear on your approach, let’s connect — that’s exactly what coaching is for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I start preparing for a high-pressure moment?
It depends on the complexity, but meaningful preparation should start days or even weeks before—not hours. Physical and mental conditioning takes time. The night before is for rest and consolidation, not cramming. For major presentations or performances, begin your anchor question work 3-5 days out, physical preparation 24-48 hours out, and presence work in the final hours.
What if I don’t have time for all this preparation?
Even 24 hours is enough to make a significant difference. Focus on the non-negotiables: sleep, your anchor question, and shifting from memorizing to noticing. **How to prepare for high-pressure moments** effectively isn’t about having unlimited time—it’s about using the time you have wisely. Skip the cramming. Prioritize rest and clarity.
Can this approach work for unexpected high-pressure situations?
Absolutely. While you can’t prepare for the unexpected event itself, you can prepare your baseline condition. People who consistently prioritize sleep, mental clarity, and presence training handle surprise challenges better because they’re not starting from depletion. Your everyday habits are your emergency preparation.
What’s the biggest mistake people make when preparing?
Over-preparing the material while under-preparing themselves. They know their content inside and out but show up exhausted, anxious, or mentally cluttered. Remember: you are the instrument. If the instrument is out of tune, the best music won’t matter. Learning **how to prepare for high-pressure moments** means preparing the performer, not just the performance.
~ Brett Solomano
Be curious. Learn often. Live deliberately
Nice writeup