Unit Testing, Agile Development, Leadership & .NET - By Roy Osherove
Tim Cahill, the travel writer (who redefined travel writing as an art form), has a story about an attempt he made, with a professional driver, to set the record for the tip-to-tip of the Americas race (southern tip of South America to northernmost point in North America). Tim worried about giving too much information, like constantly repeating "we're 2 inches from going over the cliff," but the professional driver was very firm that information was always good. It might or might not be used, but having been given it provided the option of using it or not, and it might in fact be critical to their making the record.
When I'm told that I'm 2 inches from going over the cliff, I remember the story, take a deep breath as you did, and work at taking in the information. And then smile at the remembrance of Cahill's story.