Tourney preparation. What is your approach.

What do you focus on studying before an on the board tournament that you are going to be playing shortly?

My interest in knowing this is for selfish reasons, cause I'm going to be in a first tournament since forever kind of soon, so I need advise. But the question should be regarded as general, perhaps giving points for each other to consider and such.

the best things are to examine your weaknesses. if there are certain kinds of positions where you don't know what to do

A) Learn to figure out what you're missing

B) Figure out how to avoid them

if you're a tactical player then you should be focussing on how to look for pawn breaks and which pawn sacrifices etc. make sense.

If you're a positional player, try and figure out which pawn structures you find easiest to defend and how to look for strong squares and exploit weak squares of your opponents. Basic opening knowledge is mandatory for this. You can't play anything that comes into your head and then start applying high-minded ideas. But more so, figure out using a computer WHY certain opening moves are played. Also, look into books. The move by move series is invaluable in this.

learn only enough endgame to know not to be afraid of it. if you're a beginning player chances are you'll be squashed in the middlegame.

learn which pieces matter in a position and same for your opponent and how to exchange them. also, you need to be well-versed in transformation, conversion of static advantages to dynamic ones and vice versa.

1.Play an otb game with one of your friends and set the appropriate time control.

After playing alot of internet blitz games,I had a hard time adjusting to an otb standard game.My mind was still adjusting from 2d to 3d pieces and so my visualization was hampered.

2.Get some good sleep and a minimal meal before your tourney.

3.Preparing an opening surprise to your opponent will be the least of my worries.Unless your opponent has a very narrow line of opening moves.For example he is a system player,then you could try home cooking  

I've been looking at lone queen pawn strategy videos lately cause that is where I'm at from the study plans (though I kind of took the opening learning thing loosely) I think I might understand better how to play with that kind of pawn now due to the instructions. I should perhaps look very cloesly at the openings that I enjoy playing and the popular openings these days now.

I have ten days. I'll give it two hours every day to study. Thanks for your advices so far. I think just learning ineffectively is better than not learning anything at all, so better to just get on with it than to try and figure out exactly what is best to study too :)