How do men define relationships with the women in their lives?

I want a male perspective on something. Imagine the non-related, age-appropriate women that you interact with on a regular basis and presumably like as human beings. How do you define those relationships in terms of dating--or do you? Is it like Off-limits (married), Off-limits (boyfriend-check back later), Platonic friends (unless Armageddon-type scenario), Platonic friends (unless alcohol intakes proves too great), Potential girlfriends (third, second, first choice), Dream girl, etc.? Or am I way off course? I want to crack the code.


Unless there is no code, which is what I fear. Somewhere along the way it became cool to "not want to put labels" on relationships. I believe this has caused a great deal of wasted time by the romantics among us. I personally have great difficulty completely exorcising a crush because for every time I think, "That's the last straw! Obviously he doesn't like me that way," there's always the seed of doubt. I tend to be attracted to men who lean toward the shy side, which makes it easier for me to make excuses for them. If I was only attracted to guys with a more "I know what I want and I go after it" attitude towards romance, I wouldn't have all this confusion. Still, someone has got to help the shy guys successfully date. 

Why is it that humans have yet to master relationship skills? Why is it so ridiculously difficult? Amazon has 295,005 books on dating and none of them sound that helpful. The titles sound kind of frightening, actually:

Make Every Man Want You: How to Be So Irresistible You'll Barely Keep from Dating Yourself! by Marie Forleo

Men Are Like Fish: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Catching a Man by Steve Nakamoto

Man Magnet: How to Be the Best Woman You Can Be in Order to Get the Best Man by Romy Miller

Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl - A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship by Sherry Argov

How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You by Mandy Simons and Emily J. Terry

I want to write a book like, "How to be a Normal, Sane Person in the Insane World of Dating: Tips for Men and Women." I might read that. That sounds less aggressive and terrifying. Of course, I would have to figure out what those tips are exactly and make sure that they work. That's unlikely since I still get tripped up over "Chapter One: Establish mutual interest."