How To Be Human and Not An Asshole

Try It

Skim real pages, try a few exercises, and see if this kind of honesty fits.

A cluttered office desk with two overlapping sets of colorful sticky notes, each in different handwriting styles represented only by scribbled lines, facing opposite directions as if in silent argument. A stress ball with a worn surface sits between them like a neutral buffer, next to a dented stainless-steel water bottle and tangled headphones. Overcast daylight filters through a nearby window, creating diffused, soft lighting that reveals dust motes in the air. Shot in photographic realism from a slightly top-down angle, with sharp focus across the entire frame, the mood feels candid and slightly tense yet hopeful—capturing the messy, practical reality of trying to work well with others without being a jerk.

Samples

Two mismatched, empty armchairs—one vivid mustard corduroy, the other deep teal velvet—angled slightly toward each other across a low, scratched coffee table in a small living room. On the table sits a shared bowl of popcorn, a single remote, and a coaster with a glass of water, all subtly imperfect. Evening lamplight spills warmly from an off-frame floor lamp, creating a soft pool of light and gentle shadows that suggest an honest, sometimes awkward conversation space. Captured at eye level in photographic realism, with the composition using the rule of thirds, the atmosphere feels bold, real, and unpolished, emphasizing comfort with conflict and connection over perfection.

Tools

Get a quick peek at two core tools: The Awkward-to-Okay Ladder and the Asshole Alarm, simple diagrams that show how tiny behavior tweaks shift conversations from tense and weird to relaxed and human.

See framework