Ending it badly isn't just bad karma, it's an opportunity for your ex (and your family and friends) to badmouth you around town, at the office and all over cyberspace. Do it nicely and your ex may give you a good reference in the future. Do it poorly and even your mom won't be speaking to you.

Tip 1: Get it over with at the beginning of the week. Let's face it -- Mondays are already considered the worst day of the week. Don't ruin someone's weekend with the bad breakup news; do it on a Monday, let him/her grieve through the week and come into the weekend with a fresh start.

Tip 2: Verbal, not written, communication is the only way to break up. In today's society, we can have virtual relationships all the time. IM, email, text messaging -- who needs to talk? If you're breaking things off, you do. If you can't face doing this in person, the very least you can do is pick up the phone. But don't call him/her at work. Your soon-to-be-ex has to maintain the respect of his/her colleagues, and that's hard to do when you're sobbing your heart out. Call him/her at home. Britney Spears really didn't follow etiquette. Not only did she send a text message instead of calling Kevin, but she did it while he was working, and the whole world got to watch. She's got some serious investment to make in the karmic circle to make up for that one.

Tip 3: Face it, you're the bad guy. Be prepared for his/her reactions. Keep it short. Say what you need to say and get out of there. Quickly. Location is key for this. No restaurants. Don't do it in bed! A park bench is good. Nowhere too public, though, as tears will be involved.

Tip 4: Give him/her closure. Don't go all soft when you get to the bitter end. It's over. You don't love him/her. You never will. You're sorry. Goodbye. If you start saying anything that implies there is hope, he/she will only hear that, and you'll be having this conversation again in a week's time. "Cruel to be kind." That's your motto right now.

Tip 5: Don't behave badly in the hopes he/she will break up with you. Don't think you're being kind by coming home late, acting depressed or flirting with other people. Your soon-to-be ex may just make excuses for you, and you'll look even worse in the end. If you want out, you need to be the one who says so. Instead of behaving badly, take some time or do something productive, such as exercising. Focus on yourself.

Tip 6: Be prepared for Dumper's Remorse. Greg Behrendt, author of "It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken," came up with this great term. Face it. You've made a major decision. And now you're single and you're wondering if you made a mistake. Be prepared for this and DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT call. If you call your ex, you will go back to square one and you will have to be the bad guy all over again when you realize that you did, in fact, make the right decision. If you're still feeling this way after a month or two, talk it over with your friends and then decide what to do.

* Results gathered from a telephone survey of approximately 4,000 adults conducted on June 28 and July 6, 2007, for Yahoo! Personals by Opinion Research Corporation. Respondents, approximately half of which were females, were asked a dozen questions about their attitudes and experiences related to dating and relationships.