Here is a tip that I didn't learn until into my third decade of cooking! Very simple. Heat the pan first. When the pan is hot, add butter or olive oil or whatever, and when it is warm, the food. I used to make the mistake of adding the butter to a cold pan, and then having to add the food too early.
Another thing I have learned is that you can add meat to a hot pan without any oil or butter. When its surface has browned, it will release itself and you can flip it over. This is called searing.