Reddit mentions of Pilot's Radio Communications Handbook Sixth Edition

Malcom Gladwell wrote a splendid essay on the difference between choking and panicking. Choking is when you overthink things you used to do instinctively and begin to stumble. Panicking is if you're underprepared and are stumbling on the unfamiliarity of a situation and lack of knowledge.

There's already a lot of good advice here, but I'm going to add that you should consider reducing cognitive effort, increasing familiarity and situational awareness so you can get past all of the conscious overthinking, start being more prepared and get "in the zone" :

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Leave all your flying crap in the car if you're just flying the pattern - documents and a set of headphones. You don't need an E-6B to make left hand turns. Do throw in an airport diagram if it's a complicated place. Bring water.

The next part is building familiarity and situational awareness:

Static Practice:

Spend "cheap time" practicing simpler things. You can find a picture of your panel online, no matter what you're flying. Spend ten minutes over breakfast every day for two weeks challenging yourself to go through the pre-start & post-start checklist. Where's the oil temperature gauge? Vacuum gauge? Fuel pump switch? The next time you get into the cockpit, you'll almost be able to find this stuff by touch.

Dynamic Practice:

If you can, spend "low risk" time playing with a PC "flight simulator" (not an actual training aide, as they'll tell you endlessly). A CH yoke plus the program (XPlane is great, MS Flight Simulator X is good...and cheap) can set you back $150, but you can then work with a virtual panel, do power off landings, follow a VOR etc. etc. to build instinct around it. None of this will simulate the dynamic environment in an airplane - turbulence, noise, heat/cold - but you'll find yourself holding altitude easily and using the VOR without a lot of deliberation. Bonus: You can practice "the impossible turn" (engine failure at 300' AGL and trying to reverse course onto the runway) and see what really happens. Then you can practice what you SHOULD be doing if that happens.

Radio stuff:

Think through the radio procedure to get VFR clearance at a Class C airport (contact delivery, CRAFT, Readback, Ground, Taxi, Tower, Clearance, Departure). Sounds impossible if you don't do it much, but a good handbook will talk you through it. Go through it over lunch.

Maps:

Get a paper map (remember those?) and stick it in your pocket -- it doesn't even have to be current. You can practice what all those funny symbols and labels mean. Then use it for gift wrap later.

Driving:

Driving? Pilots never practice anything in the car, but they should. Horizon scan? Instruments? How much fuel do you have? What's the oil pressure? What is that pedestrian going to do? What is your heat setting? You'll be a better pilot and since what you're really doing is developing more situational awareness, you'll be a better driver too. Just don't try to use the rudder pedals.

Airport downtime:

Will they let you just sit in the cockpit on the ground with the engine off for a half-hour once in a while? Maybe in a plane that's waiting for parts in the service hangar? Then you really can run through the checklists and touch the switches.

Bottom line:

Commit non-flying time and resources to building experience and familiarity, and your flight hours will become more "natural" and you'll have less hesitation and your fear will be reduced to a healthy level of caution. The bonus is that you'll get more out of those expensive flight hours - honing the stuff that can only be done in the air instead of wondering where the master radio switch is.

I'm the student that he speaks of, but I don't consider myself a rockstar. I just wanted to save as much money as possible so that I had more to fly with after I got my ticket. The biggest key to it was getting the written done before starting any lessons. I had, I think, solid textbook and theoretical understanding of what I was about to start applying practically. Now? Doing fine. Instrument rated, followed the same formula with a different instructor, and it saved me money there too.

For radio work, he recommended a book (I think) before the first lesson called The Pilot's Radio Communications Handbook, link here. That really helped me get a handle on some things, though I was pretty familiar already. I had a scanner as a kid in the Chicago area and could listen to tons of ATC frequencies without issue. Ultimately, I think things just lined up. /u/blackdenton was a great instructor, and I had a blast doing it.