Lifehacks

Social
++ The nicer you are to your parents, the nicer they will be to you (for the most part). ++ Make friends as soon as possible with a new neighbor. You have no idea how much this will ease certain encounters in the future. It's easier to have a big party or just generally be loud in your room if you know that the upstairs (or wherever) neighbor is cool with you. ++ Make friends at theuniversity. This is especially important for you career-minded individuals. Getting on a professor's good side is one of the most important things you can do at university. If you see someone sitting in the lunch room by themselves and they aren't studying or doing homework, go sit at their table and talk to them. Get their name and what they're studying and BAM, you've got an aquaintance. Then, whenyou see them around campus/town again, say 'hi'. ++ Even though you may be nervous about talking to random people, the worst you can get is "Go away." ++ Making friends with janitors at school is a great hint. Feel like having a day off school? Do it. He'll write you a note, because even though he's kinda weird, he's pretty cool. ++ If you're in a large group that's singing, and you know the tuneof the song but not the words, you can just mouth "Watermelon" over and over. No one watching will be able to tell, except the deaf. ++ Guys, when everything is going perfectly with your relationship, send your girlfriend flowers or a Vermont Teddybear. If you can do it well, cook her a surprise meal. ++ If you're standing in a line at the grocery store or wherever, turn to the person behind youand make small talk. ++ Do not buy your girlfriend or wife flowers in an attempt to make nice after you pissed her off. Every time she looks at the flowers, she will just be reminded that you pissed her off, unless she has the memory span of a goldfish. ++ If you occasionally feel like feeding the hungry looking guy with the sign at the intersection, don't give him money. Your desire to help him getsome hot food may end up being exploited to get things you don't intend. Carry meal coupons to local restraunts. Its real hard to exchange a $5.00 Quiznos coupon for alchohol or drugs, but it will get them a toasted sub. ++ Learn to apologize. Swallow your pride and do it. It will make your life so much better in the end. ++ Repair your messed up relationships if at all possible. ++ If you're ata party and you don't know anyone, make it a point to meet the host and introduce yourself. The host can introduce you to other guys/girls and it scores you points so you get invited back. ++ Don't loan money to friends. ++ Spend some effort staying in touch with friends. ++ If you're in a foreign country, never assume that a particular type of humor is universal. Your clever sarcastic commentmight not go over well at all if the listener isn't familiar with the concept of sarcasm.

++ Remember when you were little and were intimidated by adults and big kids? Play with little kids and don't think they're dumb, they're smarter than you think. Kids will listen and behave better around you if you do that. ++ Have a firm handshake. ++ Relearn childhood skills or hobbies that you decidedwere stupid. They'll often inexplicably impress people later on. ++ Pay attention to how your coworkers treat waitstaff. It's is generally a good indicator of how they'll treat people they feel they have some power or control over. ++ Take your hat off during dinner of say, a significant other, or a friend's family that you aren't too comfortable with yet. It just looks bad to be an impolite punk whodoesn't show any manners. ++ If you get in trouble with an authority figure, be as nice as possible, sometimes they let you off if you display that you have regretted your mistake or are willing to accept consequences.

Alcohol and Bar etiquette
++ If you have a girlfriend and would like to keep her, before you go drinking with the guys shut your cell phone off and give it to the designated...