1. Be Prepared.
Ever forget the date or what day of the week it is? Maybe have a Tuesday that feels like a Friday? Today is NOT a day where such slip ups will fly.
Be vigilant. Be alert. Be ready.
2. Trust no one.
Co-worker being a little nicer than usual? Someone suddenly cares how your day is going? Don’t buy it. The less you engage in small talk and social niceties, the fewer your chances of getting pranked.
3. Just don’t get excited -- about anything.
Stay frosty, and don’t react to any news you may hear. For example if:
...you’re named employee of the month.
…your friend gets engaged.
...your CEO announces you’re opening a new location in Florida.
If it’s true, the high fives will keep until April 2nd.
4. Put any bodily functions on hold.
Many classic pranks involve messing with your food and drinks, or catching unsuspecting victims while their guard is down -- while they’re sleeping, sitting down, going to the bathroom, etc.
The solution here is simple: don’t do any of these things. Industry experts recommend starting to regulate your fluid intake the night before the big day as a best practice.
5. Go on the offensive.
If you think about it, you could probably count on one hand the most likely pranking offenders in your organization. Turn the tables on these individuals and strike first while you have the element of surprise.
That being said, don’t start anything you can’t finish. Retaliation is all but certain, so if you’re going to go there, GO BIG.
6. Maybe keep the boss out of it.
If senior management is the target of your offensive drive, maybe reconsider…. or at least read these blogs first:
7. Make or bring your own food.
A common way to prank someone is by messing with their food, so it’s best to bring your own food to school or make your own food at home. That prevents anyone from having the chance to mess with it.
- If someone who is a prankster offers you food, refuse it. It’s likely they did something to it before they handed it to you!
- Check condiments that you might use, too, like ketchup and mustard or salt and pepper. Loosening the lid so the next person to use it gets a whole lot more than they wanted is a classic prank![4]
8. Keep track of your stuff.
Keep your gym clothes in a bag locked in your locker so no one can take them. Keep your phone in your pocket when you’re not using it so someone can’t take it and change the language in settings.[5]
9. Be suspicious.
If something – a news story, an offer from a friend, or a situation like “$100 gift cards in the break room!” – seems too good to be true, it probably is! Make sure you follow up on these types of instances. See if other news sites have the same story, or check with friends and coworkers to see what they've heard and if it matches what you know. Some of your friends might be in on the prank, but not everyone will be![8]
- Avoid news sites that are notorious for doing things like this, especially around April Fool’s Day. Google usually pulls an April Fool’s Day prank, as does the Village Voice. The British press in general also loves a good prank at the beginning of April, so take news from these sources with a grain of salt![9]
These probably don’t cover everything, but with everybody staying home, it’s probably easy this year to avoid being the butt of jokes. Unless you live with someone who is bored, then all bets are off.