The speed reader’s rule of thumb

The speed reader’s rule of thumb. Speed reading methods encompass a handful of techniques to help a person better focus their reading attention. One simple speed reading rule of thumb says you can read faster by only reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
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The designer’s rule of thumb

The designer’s rule of thumb. Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a French writer, poet and aviator. The oft-quoted writer’s design rule of thumb says "a designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
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The red sky rule of thumb

The red sky rule of thumb. The ancient weather rule of thumb says "red sky at night is a sailor's delight; a red sky in the morning is a sailor's warning." Although not scientific, this weather predictor is generally accurate within limits.
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The half-hour trading rule of thumb

The half-hour trading rule of thumb. Stock trading should be based on sound research and solid criteria. When making a stock trade, the half-hour rule of thumb says avoid the first and last half-hour of the trading day when the market is most volatile.
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The good neighbor rule of thumb

The good neighbor rule of thumb. American poet Robert Frost’s rule of thumb says "good fences make good neighbors." This quote first appeared in Frost’s 1914 poem "Mending Wall" and has been adapted over the years to social and real estate issues.
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A rule making company

A rule making company. The German company Adaptive Behavior and Cognition Group at Berlin's Max Planck Institute for Human Development researches "fast and frugal heuristics" - rules people can apply quickly and effectively, yet which are frugal in terms of how much data you need.
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The 36-28 divorce rule of thumb

The 36-28 divorce rule of thumb. The effects of divorce generally equate to economic hardship, usually for the party who is awarded custody of the children. The 36-28 rule of thumb for divorce says after a divorce, women see their standard of living drop by 36% while it rises by 28% for men.
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The contraction rule of thumb

The contraction rule of thumb. A contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. A writer’s rule of thumb says avoid contractions - can’t, doesn’t, wouldn’t, etc. - unless you are using these words in a quotation of direct speech.
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The 1 in 10 patent rule of thumb

The 1 in 10 patent rule of thumb. A business rule of thumb says 1 in 10 inventions will receive a patent, 1 in 10 patents will be licensed, and 1 in 10 licenses will result in more than $25,000 per year in income for the licensee.
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Hofstadter's rule of thumb

Hofstadter's rule of thumb. Recursion is when a process calls itself, sometimes repeatedly, to accomplish a task. Hofstadter's project management rule of thumb says a task always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's law.
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The term life rule of thumb

The term life rule of thumb. Term life insurance pays money to a designated beneficiary upon the death of the policyholder. The rule of thumb for term insurance says multiply your current annual income by the number of years until retirement (but no more than 20) to determine the amount of term life insurance to buy.

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The actions rule of thumb

The actions rule of thumb. Author Gersham Bulkeley’s rule of thumb says "actions speak louder than words," which means what you do is more significant than what you say. This famous quote first appeared in Bulkeley’s 1692 book "Will and Doom."
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Heuristics

Heuristics. A heuristic is another type of rule of thumb. The term heuristic pertains to the process of gaining knowledge or some desired result by intelligent guesswork. It is a simplification or educated guess that reduces the search for solutions in areas that are difficult and poorly understood.
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The driving risks rule of thumb

The driving risks rule of thumb. A driver faces their highest road risks during inclement weather such as rain, snow, ice or sleet. A safe driving rule of thumb says the most dangerous time to drive is the first ten minutes after it begins to rain.
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The retirement rule of thumb

The retirement rule of thumb. Financial planners recommend saving a portion of your working income for your retirement years. A rule of thumb says you should expect to have 80% of your pre-retirement income available if you want a comfortable retirement.
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The golden rule of thumb

The golden rule of thumb. The golden rule is a basic moral principal in most religions and is the basis for modern human rights. The golden rule states: treat others the way you would like to be treated. The golden rule also referred to as the "ethic of reciprocity."
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The homework rule of thumb

The homework rule of thumb. There are several methods for estimating the appropriate amount of homework for a grade level student. An education rule of thumb says a student should spend about ten minutes of homework each night per grade level.
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The product returns rule of thumb

The product returns rule of thumb. Most companies offer a product return policy. A business rule of thumb says the more time you give customers to return your products and services, the less number of refunds you will give back.
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The "well paid" rule of thumb

The "well paid" rule of thumb. Most gauge wealth by a person's career earnings. A Fortune Magazine rule of thumb says you are well paid if you earn four times your age. For example, a person at age 30 earning $120,000 is considered well paid.
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The 1 or 10 sales and marketing budget rule of thumb

The 1 or 10 sales and marketing budget rule of thumb. A rule of thumb for setting an organization’s sales and marketing budget says this amount should be 1% of the company’s assets or 10% of the company’s revenue.
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The 10-15-20 retirement rule of thumb

The 10-15-20 retirement rule of thumb. Financial planners suggest you save at least 10% of your income for retirement. If you begin saving in your early 30s, the 10-15-20 rule of thumb says saving 10% will get you basic retirement, saving 15% will get you comfortable retirement, while saving 20% will get you a chance at early retirement.
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The 2 for 1 study rule of thumb

The 2 for 1 study rule of thumb. Homework and exam preparation is a fact of life for most students. An education rule of thumb says students should study two hours outside of class for every hour they spend in class.
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The project dates rule of thumb

The project dates rule of thumb. The primary goal of project manager is to deliver a completed project on time and under budget. A good project management rule of thumb says a project manager who estimates dates, instead of hours, guarantees a late project.
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Brooks’ rule of thumb

Brooks’ rule of thumb. The classic book "The Mythical Man Month" was written by IBM project manager Fred Brooks in 1975. The book cites the fallacy in the attempt to add more workers to a project that is falling behind schedule. Brooks' law is simple: adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.
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The recession rule of thumb

The recession rule of thumb. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is defined as the market value of all goods and services produced by a country. The economic recession rule of thumb says a recession is declared when two consecutive quarters of negative growth in GDP occur.
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The 20/4/10 car loan rule of thumb

The 20/4/10 car loan rule of thumb. Follow the 20/4/10 rule of thumb if you must borrow to buy a car. This rule says to make a 20% down payment, do not borrow for more than four years, and do not settle for a monthly payment that is more than 10% of your income.
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The 5 MPH rule of thumb

The 5 MPH rule of thumb. Every vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed. A general rule of thumb says for most vehicles each five miles per hour you drive over sixty adds an additional 21 cents per gallon for gas.
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The housing budget rule of thumb

The housing budget rule of thumb. A real estate rule of thumb says a home owner's total housing expenses, including principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance, should not exceed 25% of a their monthly income.
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