Rules of Thumb
The phrase, ‘rule of thumb’, is something I use all the time. When people ask me for advice, I almost always preface my examples with ‘as a rule of thumb’. For example, someone asks me about making a chocolate cake, and I might tell them, “As a rule of thumb, I always use coffee to replace a portion of my liquid to bring out the flavor of the chocolate.”
A rule of thumb is a guide or principle that may be imprecise. It is usually practical and gained from personal experience rather than scientific method.
I found a book, published in 1983, that gives the author’s rules of thumb. There are many that don’t hold up over time (due to historical changes, etc.), but the following are a handful of rules I found amusing/helpful/interesting.
Rules of Thumb- A Life Manual by Tom Parker
The Ann Landers Pencil Test: To determine whether you need to wear a bra, place a pencil under one of your breasts. If the pencil falls to the floor, you don’t need to wear a bra; if it stays, you need one.
The Effort in Effortless: Effortless prose generally takes three to four drafts.
Think Big on a Small Scale: A clear idea should fit on the back of a business card.
Assessing Nerve Damage: Skin with damaged nerves doesn’t wrinkle in warm water.
Assessing Clout: You have social clout when you bore people and they think it’s their fault.
Rules of Thumb- by Erin Harty
Guess-based Consumption: Don’t eat anything you have to convince yourself is still good (unspoiled).
Share Good Fortune: Give to charities and those in need whenever you have the means.
Hide Good Fortune: Never tell a group of people that you have a talent- one of them is bound to try and convince you to do this talent in public or for free.
Travel in Comfort: When traveling by air (or any form of transportation, really) don’t make eye contact with your assigned seat mate unless you are prepared to talk to a stranger for an indeterminate period of time.
Develop a Green Thumb: Water your plants when the tip of a finger (or thumb) pushed into the soil remains dry.
It’s No Secret: Tell your people you love them as often as possible.