Listening distractively: the all point of you and her conversing should be ideally to actively engage one another. By allow distraction, forgetting what she was saying or simply by looking inattentive you could loose completely her trust and confidence. It's not a secret that women admire men able to listening to their problems.
Telling too many lies: let's admit it, especially on a first date we all tell small lies (or exaggerate slightly in describing our reality). This is quite normal and nothing to be ashamed of - part of the human nature wanting to put it positively, and after all we may well be feeling under considerable pressure to impress! Sometimes it's true that we tell lies to our own self -sort of therapeutic affirmation- and these lies tend to re-emerge in “talking to impress” situations, without involving our full consciousness (great excuse, alright!). However, when we lie too often and about basic traits of our personality -or basic events of our life- the lie is the clear symptom of a deeply routed insecurity and fear of rejection which we should address and try to resolve within ourselves (and this is true for men and women alike).
It's also true that in this case the lie can become obvious to the listener quite quickly; so as a matter of measure try to avoid telling more than one or two “innocent” lies if you don't want to loose your face.
Mentioning your ex-girlfriend too often: this is a real put-off and not very wise thing to do, especially if you are talking about positive qualities of your former partner. Again, it's all about measure. There is not harm in mentioning about your ex once or twice if the conversation turns on the subject, but the golden rule should be in any case to avoid comparison (“your eyes/the way you move/your accent remind me lot of my ex”). For a woman is essential to feel and be regarded as unique in order to feel attractive: instead of comparing her with her ex or other people you know (actress and models included) try to find a positive aspect of her which is new or surprising to you (“I've never met any woman with such a vitality/smile/sense of humour as you”) and be honest about it (don't invent compliments out of your head, you'd run the risk of sounding false). You will realise that this is one of the most important points to keep in mind on a first date: celebrating the uniqueness.
Bragging about your qualities: there is nothing more boring than a person (man or woman) going on and on about his merits or achievements, and this is something quite common on a first date, when the mentioned “pressure of impressing” can take over considerably. Some guy might feel the irresistible need of showing their self-confidence and think that immodesty is the way to achieve it. In fact, any average intelligent woman would know that a really confident man does not need to show off his virtues; she would expect him to simply relax and let his natural charm do the work. Ironically then, by bragging too long about your good traits you run the risk of sounding insecure (and if not, almost certainly boring!).
If you are still too tempted to tell her where all your real strengths are, then you could simply try to balance them with a bit of humour (if you DO have sense of humour) or by mentioning beside some of your bad qualities (“I am a born leader, but I can be too bossy” “I am a very quick learner, but I can be terribly distract at times”). Use this trick only once or twice or it will be obvious and remember to spare it only for your hidden qualities (there is not point in mentioning how tall or good looking you are, or any other nice aspects already visible to the other part).
Drinking too much (or getting drunk before her): there is no doubt that alcohol can break the ice between two newly introduced friends and if used wisely it could be a great ally. It could also ruin completely your date if you don't keep it under control. There is nothing less sexy for any woman than a drunk man when she is sober! It wouldn't be much use to suggest a specific level or “alcohol limit” in this article, as the amount of drink that anyone can bare without getting drunk varies considerably among individuals. Though, any guy will probably know how many rounds he can endure whilst preserving his sense of reality (among other things) and it is most important to keep an eye of your partner to check how tipsy she is; if she's not drinking at all, or not as much as you, the best thing you can do is just stopping the cocktails' fiesta and order a soda. Another major mistake commonly made by males on first date is to push the other part into drunkenness, hoping that she might loose a bit of her stiffness and see you in a better light afterwards. This approach won't lead you very far in your relationship, unless of course you are both alcoholics or looking for a one night stand.
Not insisting to pay the bill: indeed you could proclaim yourself a feminist or blame the equality of sexes, but it will rarely help you out. Nowadays women are still expecting men to offering to pay the bill at the end of a drink or a meal, especially on a first date. Don't be fooled by her modern attitude towards equality, even in the extreme case of her being an adept of women' supremacy there is nothing too loose in making an offer which she could simply decide to decline. In most instances (and to give you a rough percentage I would say 99%), she will very much appreciate the kind gesture and you will have avoided looking like a cheap mean ***K.
