You can go overboard on these additional checks. Being a once avid reader of overseas flight safety events via the internet and various magazines, I realised that reading all these gory stories was causing me to start jumping at shadows.
For example, during the before take off checks in the old 737 series, I found myself just about buggering my back while twisting in my seat to glimpse the outer section of the leading edge devices to ensure that they were indeed extended before commencing the take off roll.
This, despite the presence of safety features in the cockpit that told me the LED were all set in the correct position.