Below is a general list of the tasks you should do each day, as well as some
common mistakes you should avoid. The most useful section may be the list of
things that are irrelevant, as most other advice has you waste time engaging
in these tasks. This list should help you prioritize your time a bit better
and optimize your daily routine.


THINGS YOU SHOULD DO
--------------------

Every Day
- Collect eggs and milk from livestock as soon as the day begins.
- Feed all your animals after collecting produce. Brush and talk to cows as
well. Remember, time does not pass in the barn, and this helps make sure
you do not forget the feeding.
- Take care of any business in town once the produce is collected, including
buying seeds or livestock.
- Collect any crops. If the day ends and you have not picked all the crops,
save them for the next day. They will survive until picked.
- Collect fruit or fish from the mountain for extra money when not harvesting
crops. This is especially important in the first two seasons.
- Build relationships with all the single girls in town in your free time. It
is best to do this during the fall and winter when you have some down time.
- Maintain the farm. This includes fixing broken fence pieces and pulling up
weeds.
- Chop extra wood from the mountain at night. You will need to save up until
You have upgraded your house twice.
- Before bed, check the weather for the next day.

When Married
- Give your wife a gift every other day or so to keep her affection score
up. Eggs make excellent gifts.

Throughout the Game
- Get married and have two children. You should be married before the end of
the first year to make sure you have enough time for both children.
- Win the Egg Hunt in years 1 and 2.
- Upgrade your house at least once before the end of the first summer.
- Collect Power Berries at every chance you get.
- Hug your dog 100 times before the end of the game. This is not a rumor and
is, in fact, needed for the best ending. Other than this, the dog has no
purpose in the game.


THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO
------------------------
- Plow the field, water the crops, cut the grass, or plant new seeds during
the day. Save these chores for the night time. Daytime is when you should
be making money.
- Go to bed each night with your wife. Yes, this is contrary to most other
advice. Going to bed without her does lower her affection score slightly,
but you can easily make up for it with gifts. Staying up late is essential
to completing chores and making a lot of money.
- Place anything in the shipping bin at night. You will not be paid for it.
- Keep the livestock outside. There is no benefit to doing this and there are
some serious downsides. Keep them inside at all times.
- Buy perfume at the Flower Festival. It is a waste of money.
- Buy more than one chicken. After buying the first, breed the rest by
incubating eggs.
- Buy the Miracle Potion. Unless you are rich and just want to see the
effects, buy cows instead of breeding them.


THINGS IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU DO
-----------------------------------
Despite what you may read otherwise, the following actions have no effect on
the game, positively or negatively.

- Buy the Money Tree.
- Plant the Magic Beans. This is an interesting side event, but it is not
needed.
- Use fence pieces on your ranch. There is no negative effect or penalty from
not having a fence. Even if you leave chickens outside, wild dogs never
show up if there is not a fence (their appearance is triggered by broken
fence pieces only).
- Talk to or interact with your kids. Surprisingly, you can ignore them with
no penalty and are never rewarded for anything you do with them.
- Talk to your wife. Conversations (or lack thereof) do not affect her
affection score once married.
- Take your wife's advice or satisfy her requests. She will frequently tell
you to do things like "take the dog inside during the rain." You can ignore
everything she says without upsetting her.
- Flirt with or build relationships with other women once married. Your wife
does not care if you talk to or even dance with other women. The one
exception is the Star Night festival – she will get upset if you don't join
her.
- Pay any attention to your horse. You can ignore the horse completely after
you find it if you want.
- Screw up any of the scenes required to get the golden tools. There is no
permanent penalty for this. If you do mess them up, the golden tools will
appear for sale at the tool shop.