Z has a point about the cafeine, just not too much. I do the following...
1) Make a point to read a couple of the discussions on this board (particularly if there are some long ones about rule application). (2) I go to lunch alone that day so I can review the pregame card I use (stole it off this board
). (3) I always drive to the game without listening to the radio so I can go over in my mind what I want to work on during the game, talk myself through the various mechanics (foul reporting, TO procedures, pregame duties-particularly if I am the referee, etc.) This also gets the things that happened during the day out of your mind. (4) If there happens to be games before mine, I try to get there early enough to watch a little of the game. It helps get you going and may give you some idea of the offense the teams will try to utilize.
There will still be times when you may find it hard to get into the game. You may be really tired or, what happened to me the first week of Dec., you may have had to fire someone at work (she was a single mother of 2 and I never really felt I got into the flow that night.)