Leave talk of exes until later

“This one is pretty simple: while it’s important to have this conversation further down the line, I don’t think talking about exes on a first date is ever a good idea.”

For the right person, you’ll accept (minor) flaws

“I want to be with somebody who’s my equal, my partner and my best friend. I don’t want anybody to come in and change me – and I acknowledge my flaws. So it should be about acknowledging and accepting other people’s flaws, too. People are always going to have imperfections but, if they’re generally a good person, I think you do overlook flaws (as long as they don’t go against your moral values).”

It’s OK to stand up for yourself on dates

“When I started this challenge, I would overlook things that I didn’t agree with because I didn’t want to offend people. I think I was more focused on whether they liked me rather than if I liked them, so I was less likely to call out behaviours I wasn’t OK with. Now, because I’m used to going on a lot of dates, I’m way more likely to call stuff out. You don’t have to put up with bullshit just because you don’t want to leave a bad impression on someone.”

Beware of work whingers

“I’m a pretty positive person and I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but talking negatively is a big red flag for me on a first date. If someone had a really bad day, they could say something like ‘I’m struggling to communicate with my boss’ rather than spending the whole time talking about how much they hate their boss. But if they’re putting other people down, that is probably my biggest ick; it’s an indicator that they aren’t very positive – particularly when people speak negatively about their housemates or someone in their work environment.”

“Beware of work whingers – and 10 other lessons I’ve learned from going on 32 first dates this year”