I realized that especially as a beginner, I find it overly hard to follow detailed plans and complicated schemes. I find it much easier to just hold a couple of basic principles in mind for each different environment and stick to those until I have them completely internalized. For example instead of trying to remember what stage you're in during an approach and how to escalate, just think of something simple like "Be a friend first, be fun and lighthearted when talking to her".

What are some basic principles that truly made a difference for you?