One thing that worked for me (though most people probably thought I was just playing at fighter pilots) was to find a time when the aeroplane was not in use and just sit in the seat going through all the checks, familiarising myself where everything is so that I didn't have to look for it whilst flying. The other advantage is that you can learn this whilst it is costing you nothing, rather than whilst the expensive tacho reading is burning away the £s! (that's what the tacho records, isn't it - the rate that your money is leaving your bank...? :-))
Good luck and enjoy!