As Kenlguy said, "Welcome to the dark side."
When you load your magazines, always leave the top round on one side or the other. Pick a side and always do that. When you insert the magazine, shove it firmly in, then try to pull it back out without hitting the magazine release button. That will let you know the mag is, in fact, seated.
THEN, do as Kenlguy advised with one slight change: Pull the charging handle all the way to the rear, let go, and let it slam forward. Put the safety on...
Now, using the magazine release button, drop the mag and look at the top round. If it is now on the opposite side from where it was before you seated it, you know that the chamber is now "hot" or loaded.
No need to "sneak a peek" by easing the bolt back and then having to use the forward assist to bring it fully into battery. Seat the mag again and try to pull it out as before.
The number one cause of "fail to feed" malfunctions is failure to properly seat the magazine. In other words, "Operator Headspace Issues".
Get in the habit of always engaging the safety when you lower the muzzle and remember to disengage it when you shoulder the rifle, looking at your target. It takes as much time to turn the safety off as it does to get proper sight alignment, so there is no need to keep the safety disengaged when you're not engaging a target.
Keep your rifle lubed. AR's like to be run wet. Not dripping as if you're the son of a Saudi Oil Minister, but well lubed. They run better AND clean up easier.
After all that, prepare for a big grin, 'cause they bring that out in folks.
Also, to paraphrase an old Lay's commercial " You can't have just one."
Ed