Survival Amassment

A digestible aggregation of non-negotiable points pertaining to continued existence in all levels of security in New Eden

This list contains condensed items referring to contextual thought-patterns, strategies or hardware to always keep in mind, and use. There will always be new ways of being exploited, so staying alert and not relying on a single source of truth is imperative. This list is also not in any order, so use it as a reminder, not a rule.

Situational Awareness - Be aware of your surroundings of minimum 1 AU all the time (Directional scanners, Pilots appearing in Local, Overview etc)
Do NOT fly what you can not afford to lose. Period.
Be ready for Gate Camping, any time, anywhere. This is especially prevalent around low and nullsec areas and the transition gates from high to low sec. Bubbles and camps is considered 'when', not 'if'.
Skim or read through the advanced piloting techniques
Complete ship/cargo/fleet loss is a given, but can be more-or-less handled with good strategies and transport planning. Point: Be safer by accepting it, and not acting paranoid.
Escaping a gate-camp: Many ways, most will fail. Don't sneak out. Best bet is being cloaked, and/or just gate-crashing (heading back into the gate again and jump back). Higher probability of survival.
Never, ever warp direct from gate to gate. Find an off-axis celestial and warp to the next gate from there to avoid any bubbles on the outbound of the destination gate.
Know the engagement timers and flags if you shoot first, re-act and ranges plus how it will affect gates, gate guns etc. Simply: make sure to understand engagement timers and suspect flags.
Don't act too quickly on can flipping. Someone accessing your mining containers will become suspect. If you fire at them first, be ready for their fleet to come in and go crazy. Works in hi-sec.
Autopiloting a route will drop you in at 10km from a gate. This makes you a target for any gate campers (taking a while to get to the gate).
Rather warp to 0km of a gate, and click in jump immediately during the warp, to get through the gate soonest possible in dangerous areas.
Check, think and consider your weapon tracking speed. Larger turrets on larger ships can not keep up with smaller, faster ships. Sometimes.
Always buy insurance. It costs a lot, but when (not if) you get blown-up, you will get something/most back.
Drones. Use them, they are really helpful. Especially when mining.
Fit the Venture miner with drones and afterburner, shield extensions etc so that you can handle minor attacks.
Consider using a armor repairer module to repair instead of paying for repairs, when it makes sense. Repair costs could go high enough to make it pointless.