Scoobster - in relation to rushing to use controls - I have developed the habit of asking myself twice what i am doing before an action.
If you reach for flaps or mixture or prop revs, i just say to myself I am doing.. such and such" and look again. cutting the mixture on climb out would be a conversation stopper !
This technique isn't so necessary when your are really familiar with the controls and have many hours on type, but is again necessary in an emergency situation. M/E training is a very good example - you may not have a co pilot, so when you attend to an engine failure in a twin you have to challenge yourself that you are performing an action correctly before performing it.
Another point is familiarity - when you are low hours on type, it pays to do your routine enroute checks by saying them out aloud and touching the dial or the instrument as it re-inforces the location , and it comes in handy in an emergency.