Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. Contrary to what you may have learned in school, a jack of all trades is far more equipped to deal with life than a specialized master of only one.
While not totally comprehensive, here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do.
1. Build a Fire – Fire produces heat and light, two basic necessities for living. At some point in your life this knowledge may be vital.
2. Operate a Computer – Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days. Please, help those in need.
3. Use Google Effectively – Google knows everything. If you’re having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you that needs help.
- Google Guide
- Google Advanced Search Operators
- Google Web Search Features
- 20 Tips for More Efficient Google Searches
4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help.
- Learn CPR
- How To Perform Adult CPR (video)
- How CPR Works
- How to Perform the Heimlich Maneuver (video)
5. Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge.
- How To Drive a Stick Shift Instructional Movie (video)
- Learn to Drive a Stick Shift
- Learn to Drive a Car with Manual Transmission
6. Do Basic Cooking – If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it.
7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention – If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save your breath.
8. Win or Avoid a Fistfight – Either way, you win.
- How To Actually Win a Fistfight
- How To Win a Fistfight (video)
- How To Win a Street Fight
- How To Avoid Confrontations Like a Samurai Warrior
9. Deliver Bad News – Somebody has got to do it. Unfortunately, someday that person will be you.
- How To Deliver Bad News in Writing
- How to Deliver Bad News to a Customer
- Good Ways to Deliver Bad News
10. Change a Tire – Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them eventually pop.
11. Handle a Job Interview – I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous panic won’t land you the job.
- The 25 Most Difficult Questions in a Job Interview
- Job Interview Questions and Answers
- How to Handle Your Job Interviews Successfully
- 10 Sticky Job Interview Situations and How to Handle Them
12. Manage Time – Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but not all the time.
- How To Manage Time and Maximize Effectiveness
- Managing Your Time
- 10 tips for time management in a multitasking world
- Time Management Tips and Exercises
13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago.
14. Remember Names – Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by screaming “hey you”?
15. Relocate Living Spaces – Relocating is always a little tougher than you originally imagined.
16. Travel Light – Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter thing to do.
17. Handle the Police – Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba.
- What to Do If You’re Stopped by the Police
- How To Handle the Cops if They Knock on Your Door
- How To Handle the Police
18. Give Driving Directions – Nobody likes driving around in circles. Get this one right the first time.
- How To Give a Complete Stranger Driving Directions
- How To Give Directions
- Giving Good Driving Directions
19. Perform Basic First Aid – You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to properly dress a wound.
20. Swim – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Learning to swim might be a good idea.
21. Parallel Park – Parallel parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so many people have no clue how to do it. How could this be?
22. Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may wind up like this charming fellow.
23. Select Good Produce – Rotten fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful surprise.
- Produce Primer: Selecting the Best
- Tips on Choosing Produce and Keeping it Fresh
- Buying Fresh Vegetables
24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters are not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a basic understanding of basic hand tools.
25. Make a Simple Budget – Being in debt is not fun. A simple budget is the key.
26. Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would be nice if you could communicate with at least some of the remaining 75%.
- Free Online Language Courses
- Learn a Foreign Language Online Free
- Language Learning with Rosetta Stone
27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your time.
- How To Do a Proper Push-Up
- Chris Comfort’s Push-Up Workout (video)
- 19 Variations for a Push-Up (video)
- How To Do Sit-Ups (video)
- How To Do an Abdominal Crunch (video)
28. Give a Compliment – It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s free.
- How To Give a Good Compliment
- 5 Kick-Ass Reasons to Give a Genuine Compliment
- How To Give a Killer Compliment
- 10 Best Compliments a Man Can Give a Woman
29. Negotiate – The better deal is only a question or two away.
30. Listen Carefully to Others – The more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss.
- Tips on Effective Listening
- Listening Tips for the Classroom Environment
- Techniques for Active Listening
31. Recite Basic Geography – If you don’t know where anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people will assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at all.
32. Paint a Room – The true cost of painting is 90% labor. For simple painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9 times what it would cost you to do it yourself.
33. Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve been working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will not cut it.
- How To Conquer the Public Speaking Fear
- Better Public Speaking and Presentation
- How To Write an Informative Speech
34. Smile for the Camera – People that absolutely refuse to smile for the camera suck!
35. Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There is a fine line between successful flirting and utter disaster. If you try too hard, you lose. If you don’t try hard enough, you lose.
- Guide to Flirting
- Flirt Without Frightening
- The Rules of Flirtation
- The Science of Romance: Why We Flirt
36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure.
37. Be a Respectful House Guest – Otherwise you will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years.
- 10 Ways to Be and Excellent House Guest
- How To Be a Good House Guest
- Have A Pleasant Visit By Following A Few House Rules
38. Make a Good First Impression – Aristotle once said, “well begun is half done.”
- How To Make those First Impressions Count
- Making a Great First Impression
- Tips for Making a Good First Impression
39. Navigate with a Map and Compass – What happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere?
40. Sew a Button onto Clothing – It sure is cheaper than buying a new shirt.
41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This isn’t rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows sheer laziness.
42. Type – Learning to type could save you days worth of time over the course of your lifetime.
- Online Typing Lessons for Everyone
- Free Typing Lessons for the Standard QWERTY Keyboard
- Free Touch Typing Program
43. Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be careless.
44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices – You don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief someday.
- 4 Steps to Protect Your Computer
- Security Basics for Home Computers
- SANS Basic Computer Security Whitepapers
45. Detect a Lie – People will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life.
46. End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to keep. There is also no reason why you should have to make a decision on the spot about someone you hardly know.
47. Remove a Stain – Once again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one.
48. Keep a Clean House – A clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized lifestyle.
- The Keep-It-Clean Plan
- Keeping a Stress-Free, Clean House
- How To Keep Your House Clean in 20 Minutes a Day
49. Hold a Baby – Trust me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do.
50. Jump Start a Car – It sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck.
Check out these books for more ideas on pertinent life skills:
jiminak46 says
I think an addendum to remembering people’s names could be to develop a sense of humor so that, when you get to the age where remembering even your own name is a problem, you will be able to admit that you don’t know a name and make it a positive situation. But then if you’ve mastered numbers 7, 9, and 30 that will take care of itself.
Great job with the list. Thanks.
Jay Moodley says
Awesome site.. helps with alot of lifes modern and not so modern challenges.
Ethan Musolini says
Marc,
This is an incredible list. I am grateful to have found it. You have great content and I will definitely be referring my readers to this blog. I like the fact that you put in a lot of time and effort to offer value to your readers. That is inspiring.
The other lesson I would add to your list is the capacity to sell or persuade others because in life everything is about selling. Those who have that capacity always get a competitive edge. Thanks again.
Erle Pereira says
Wow. This just made the top of my regularly visited sites list. Great list. Great Job. We should teaching our college kids stuff this too. This is truly as ‘essentials’ list. It is amazing at how much of this we have forgotten as adults. Please keep it up.
Marc says
@All:
Once again, thanks for the kind words and insightful additions to my list. There really is an extensive list of things we should all know how to do. Thanks for pointing more of them out. 😉
Eli says
You can learn all of these in the boy scouts 🙂
…except the personal alcohol limits…depends on your group.
Fred says
How about “Conserve Resources,” or more specifically, “Conserve Electricity.” Basic thriftiness will save you — and the world — a lot.
rrdj71 says
WOW!! I am pretty proud of myself I can do and have done most of these already. Did I mention I’m just a girl?
Tonybouwman says
This is a terrific site!
Living for the past 11 years in Phuket, Thailand and teaching as a volunteer, I often talk about some of the topics listed in this site and discover, time and time again, how strong this culture is in rejecting in part or all of it, that what seems so obvious in the West.
They will not even leave a message on my answering machine because,”… we don’t like to talk to machines.” Even though it is in the Thai language! Given the waiting and waiting in Canada to get a live person on the line, I agree with the Thai people to some extend. At home, no machine no talk! Too technical, too impersonal. I prefer Thailand! (plus the fabulous beaches, food and low prices, but above all the gentle loving people.)
The best to all you readers.
Tony
Tonybouwman says
Done with them all!
Milla Valkeasuo says
They’re in wrong order! 😀
Sheettestixep says
Very nice!!
Barbara says
This is great!!! I should print this out and cross out everything I know how to do. It would be interesting to see the differences across age groups…. like for example, my grandparents don’t know anything about computers but damn can grandma remove a stain haha.
Barbara
Dr. Sally Witt says
This was a great post! I will be sharing this post around to my friends, and referring to it on my blog as well.
Very comprehensive. Good job.
Sally
http://www.drsallywitt.com
Inspiration for Change says
Great resource!
Pieter says
Wow, I actually know a lot of these items. Need to brush up on my geography skills, though…
Number 5 is especially handy if you’re coming to visit Europe, we don’t drive automatic cars, just manuals…
Maui Mike says
50 Things Everyone Should Know is a great list, very comprehensive and well thought out, molto brava at ya. But one thing troubles me: Why do the members of your website’s (presumed) target audience need to have a list in the first place? Is that demographic group so motivationally impoverished that they would NOT acquire these skills after 30-or-so years of life if your list was not here to enlighten them? A scary thought, that.
sting says
Nice post. It’s very useful. Thanks!
Cindy says
Great Site. Great Info. The Brain is an amazing thing, and I believe in exercising it.
It is important to keep it active!
Doctor Boredom says
[…]This fantastic list of 50 things that everyone should know is a good read. If you don’t know any of them maybe you should learn […]
Term Papers Writer says
Very good resource for living successful life. I think it covers every aspect of healthy life. Though list is very long, but again success doesn’t come that easily. You have to work hard to achieve anything significant. I am quite surprised that I myself actually don’t know most of things listed here. So sad 🙁
myln says
excellent list and well structured!
melorhani says
Great guide!! It’s very useful. I’ll comeback for more great info.Thanks
Peter James says
I guess I can file this away under ‘things you are going to need to know how to do one day in life.’ I mean, seriously, this is like a resource you can hand your children and tell them ‘when you are older, you will understand.’ Great list.
http://yinvsyang.com/
Google Yahoo Merger says
this is a really helpful and resourceful list! thanks so much for gathering all those links.
Preston says
I found this through stumble upon and like many sites I stumble, I was skeptical when I saw the headline. “Great! It’s yet another lengthy list from some ignoramus that thinks he/she knows what is best for everyone else.” By the time I finished the first ten, I realized that you have actually constructed a very useful list of important skills to possess, very pertinent to the modern human experience. Kudos to you, and thank you for making me realize a few things that I should learn to do.
On another note, I would like to suggest that you remove number 41 from the list :-). This is one of my many sources of income, probably the most lucrative. Of course, I’m joking, but it really is amazing to see what people will pay to have someone else do the “dirty work” for them. I can’t tell you how many times I have been paid a few hundred dollars for less than an hour of extremely elementary work … square peg goes in the square hole, etc.
Thanks again!
Max Bottaro says
well said… I don’t think there was anything on this list that I don’t agree with. I might add ‘how to lift weights properly’ – theres no point in going to the gym if you don’t know what you are doing or if you are going to stay on the elliptical the whole time.
Jazzy says
It’s reassuring to know that I know most of the list, with the exception of packing light, handling an ax and knowing my geography.
Guess I have some work to do.
Great list!
amir says
Hey Marc,
I have another great resource for you in the area of self defense and keeping yourself safe in dangerous situations. Krav Maga is one of the easiest martial arts to learn (anyone can do it) and is the most effective in real-world situations (like how to survive and escape from a mugging, or a gun being held to your head etc.) check out http://www.kravmagabootcamp.com for more info.
cheers
Amir
jtdakguy says
Wow, I’ve got allot to learn, about half of this list i am not too proficient in!
Great article.
Thanks.
J. Simac says
reminiscent of “excerpts from the diary of Lazarus Long” but more up to date…
nice.
Mary@SimplyForties says
Why oh why would I need to know how to either avoid or win a fist fight? At 47 years of age, I’ve never felt the lack of that one. I’ve got the other 49 down cold but a fist fight?!
Ignatz Horowitz says
This list is fine if you live in an apartment in the suburbs or something. But in the real world, one should be able to field-strip, maintain, and service one’s personal firearm, be it sidearm, shotgun,or assault rifle.
Hard times, they are a-comin’. If you’re not armed now, you better do so before it’s too late.
Elizabeth Stanfill says
Great stuff you guys, thank you.
Jason Anderson says
Holy cow! Over 90 comments….perhaps you should list 50 ways to get 50 comments on your blog…sweet.
Adrienne says
I agree with all of these EXCEPT the ones that have to do with cars / driving. Given all the environmental problems in the 21st century, shouldn’t we be looking at alternative methods of transportation? Bicycles and mass transport are just some of the more eco-friendly ways to get oneself around, thus rendering these “must know-hows” useless.
Dating Advice Guy says
What about how to get a date in the first place?
Mark says
#3 is in the right priority order, but should be re-worded as “Search the Internet effectively.” There is so much information on the Internet that Google cannot find at all, and there are so many instances in which Google is not the most effective search tool. This Guide to Web Search explains this in much more detail, and offers information and advice on dozens of other search tools.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides.topic__ss_categories_ss_featured-guide.xa_1.html
Taivan says
Thanks, really helpful!!!
Kathy Clark says
This is a wonderful list of valuable information. I am definately bookmarking this. Thanks for sharing.
Kathy Clark
tonee says
all this…? man..i only have 60-100 years to live!
Gabriel says
Well, at least I know how to hold a baby. 49 other things to learn, so many activities, so little time…
Retha says
What a great list. As a FACS teacher we cover many of this in classes. Personally, I think using a budget should be at the top of any list.
Supermance says
wow, this is all in one how to do list, nice 🙂