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:
Harsh vardhan says
This is exactly what I was looking for. Very informative. Thank you.
Tammy says
This makes me feel good because I’ve taught my kids so many of these things; even when they look at me crazy (driving a stick and changing a tire) they are glad I made them do it even through the tears 🙂
Rob Clarke says
For those of us in a northern clime I’ll add
Thaw frozen pipes – way to many tragic house fires caused through not knowing this.
Anth says
This is an awesome article! Hours of learning and stemming off of these ideas have occurred since I read it.
Sheri says
Thank you so much. I’m homeschooling my 8th grader, & hey some of this I didn’t even know. Talking about awesome, this is it!!!!
E says
Can we add dance to this list? For occasions that require it.
ViQ says
#31 – Reciting Geography
I used to be horrible with geography in school.. Unfortunately I found this video after I got out of that place..
Animaniacs – Nations of the World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtdQ8bTvRc
It is a bit out-dated, but still, the average person cant watch this a few times and NOT learn something; in less than two minutes.
tom says
Great article! Educational and fun, thanks.
Jon says
Good tips.
Regarding learning a new language… Perhaps more important (and far easier) than learning another language would be learning how best to speak to someone who doesn’t speak English very well. Especially where I live, in an English-speaking country but in an area with lots of immigrants, it pains me to watch conversations between native English speakers and non-native English speakers (who don’t speak very well, e.g. my parents ten years ago). The native English speaker will talk at a rate he thinks is normal, whilst the non-native speaker is struggling to understand.
Tips from my own experience:
1. Talk a little slower than usual, but not extremely slowly/condescendingly.
2. Enunciate. If who you’re talking to doesn’t understand, slow down further and sound out each syllable. If they still don’t understand, try to give a very simple definition, a synonym, or write it out on a piece of paper.
3. Don’t attempt to imitate their accent if they have one. It doesn’t work, and they will probably find it offensive.
4. Use simple words instead of more complex words, confusing words, slang, or words with multiple meanings. E.g. “I like this book” as opposed to “I like this novel,” or “The lamp is broken” as opposed to “The light’s broken.
5. Use simple verbs, also. “I’m going to the doctor’s office.” as opposed to “I’m heading to the doctor’s office” or “I’m taking a trip to the doctor’s office.”
6. Remember that the class/textbook out of which they learned English may have used British spelling and vocabulary as opposed to American, or vice versa.
Lisa says
Great list! I’ll be delving into the ones I can’t do yet.
mido says
For those of us in a northern clime I’ll add
Thaw frozen pipes – way to many tragic house fires caused through not knowing this.
watch says
Good tips.
Regarding learning a new language… Perhaps more important (and far easier) than learning another language would be learning how best to speak to someone who doesn’t speak English very well. Especially where I live, in an English-speaking country but in an area with lots of immigrants, it pains me to watch conversations between native English speakers and non-native English speakers (who don’t speak very well, e.g. my parents ten years ago). The native English speaker will talk at a rate he thinks is normal, whilst the non-native speaker is struggling to understand.
Tips from my own experience:
1. Talk a little slower than usual, but not extremely slowly/condescendingly.
2. Enunciate. If who you’re talking to doesn’t understand, slow down further and sound out each syllable. If they still don’t understand, try to give a very simple definition, a synonym, or write it out on a piece of paper.
3. Don’t attempt to imitate their accent if they have one. It doesn’t work, and they will probably find it offensive.
4. Use simple words instead of more complex words, confusing words, slang, or words with multiple meanings. E.g. “I like this book” as opposed to “I like this novel,” or “The lamp is broken” as opposed to “The light’s broken.
5. Use simple verbs, also. “I’m going to the doctor’s office.” as opposed to “I’m heading to the doctor’s office” or “I’m taking a trip to the doctor’s office.”
6. Remember that the class/textbook out of which they learned English may have used British spelling and vocabulary as opposed to American, or vice versa.
Cathy says
Interesting article. I suppose it’s good to be self reliant. I wonder, did you mean for everyone to be able to do all these things at the same point in life, or is it a gradual process?!! I wonder too about notions of self reliance. What, for example, would a person with a disability do with this list if say, they couldn’t drive, or open a tin to prepare a meal? Does that mean they are ‘less than’ ?? Surely we should be aiming for inter-dependence not total independence. Some people have strengths that others don’t and vice-versa, and maybe their strengths can complement another person’s, but be different entirely. Also, developing skills is a life long process. You don’t need to have it all perfect by the age of 25!! Take it from someone who is 46 and still learning… 😉
baja ringan says
Great, interesting, fun, and educational. Thanks.
Rima AbuDayyeh says
Great list! I am working on learning all of these things.
Neha says
That’s a big list. There’s a few things I need to learn. Useful, thank you.
Mallesh says
Its a big list.
lot of things to be learn. very useful.
thanks
last breath says
Great article of things everyone should know. Everyone needs to be self reliant in life. I posted it on my rookie blog to share with my friends.
Kesha C. says
Awesome article! Great list to give to a kid leaving for college for the first time.
LaRubia says
Love this! Happy about how many I know; distressed about how many I don’t.
One I did not see:
When and HOW to offer AND accept an apology.
Stephaine says
Nice that was pretty insightful. Great read.
greg says
How to please a life partner should be on this list.
gteamkrupal says
Wow! Useful collection of wisdom everyone should know.
Shanaldo says
Once I learn to hook up the home theater system, I will have done everything on this list. I think you should add another one though: Surviving a tragedy or losing a loved one, because it’s universal… we all must go through that, despite our best intentions.
Andrew says
A+++ article. Nice guide for a life’s to do list.
John Spencer says
Great list. Looking forward to knocking a few of these skills off my to-learn list.
Theresa says
This list is good but is missing a couple of fundamental things….
1. Using tools in general to make simple repairs is important…so add hammer, screw driver, pliers.
2. Doing laundry not just removing stains is vital to self-reliance.
3. Computer skills in general but specifically being able to navigate across all types of media using a wide variety of devices…you just never know what you might have to improvise with to get the information, print something out or apply for a job.
4. Using public transportation….many many countries and lots of big cities don’t rely on personal cars but on busses and trains.
5. How to sleep anywhere…if you require very specific sleeping conditions it might be difficult to travel, be sick in a different city or country or be a good house guest.
Your Brain Waves says
I think everyone should know how to meditate!
Arianwen says
Yikes! Looks like I have a lot to learn!
Zafer says
Awesome list. Looking forward to learning / actioning some of these new skills, as you are aware we never stop learning until the day we die. Knowledge is power, so get going and act up.
zaffa says
I agree with the teacher who inquired about checkbook balancing. So many young people today do not know how to manage their finances at all. Finance balancing and avoiding bad credit practices should definitely be on the list.
Dano says
I wish my girlfriend would read #5 about learning to drive a manual transmission. I’m pretty sure she’s already ruined the clutch of my car and it’s only a 2008. Nice article.
Michael says
Here’s one list of things I can say I’ve done completely, which probably makes me about 50.
Mukul says
What a great collection of tips!
P.J. Monroe says
I would add, “Learn to take a compliment.”
Julie Anna Bloodworth says
This is a wonderful list. There is only 1 that I would leave off – HOLD A BABY.
I know, particularly with me being a woman, that I should LOVE babies, love the way they smell, how they look and act, etc., but I’m just not a baby person – never have been.
It’s not that I’m scared of holding one, it’s that I just don’t want to.
Not everyone wants to be a parent, and to those of us that doesn’t, we don’t really want to hold anyone else’s either.
Mel says
I’m off to learn how to parallel park (last time I did it was in my driving test, way too many years ago!) and jump start a car. Apart from that I’m now feeling surprisingly competent, so thanks very much for that!! 🙂
Mariam says
Uh, guess I’ve gotta dedicate some time to learn all of these things! Still 18, so I don’t have a problem with time. Thank you a lot. 🙂
Susan says
What an excellent resource! I would add ‘Fix a broken toilet.’ Toilets are so basic and plumbers are SO expensive.
Lizanne says
WOW! I can probably spend a LOT of time learning to do all those things. At least I can tick more than half already. Great list, thank you!
Dennis says
Love your site! Wow … the first one, build a fire, is fundamental but it’s interesting that the next two are computer-related!
Then, number 5 reminds me of my High-School electronics teacher who said “the vacuum tube will never replace the transistor!
Anyway …. love your list …. good fodder for conversation!
Dennis
brains says
This is awesome… especially the one that has to do with win or avoid a fight.