Sunday, October 31, 2010

The life insurance rule of thumb

The life insurance rule of thumb. Life insurance is a contract in which an insurance company agrees to pay money to a designated beneficiary upon your death. A life insurance rule of thumb says purchase a policy valued at five times your current earnings, plus two times earnings for every dependent.
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Saturday, October 30, 2010

The lightning distance rule of thumb

The lightning distance rule of thumb. A good rule of thumb for calculating the distance you are from a lightning strike is one mile for every five seconds between the flash of lightning and the next rumble of thunder.
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Friday, October 29, 2010

The 80-20 medical costs rule of thumb

The 80-20 medical costs rule of thumb. Increasing numbers of companies are turning to health and wellness programs to improve the health of their employees. The 80-20 medical costs rule of thumb says 20% of a company's employees account for 80% of its medical costs.
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Thursday, October 28, 2010

The 100-100 rule of thumb

The 100-100 rule of thumb. Weight loss is a result of healthy eating plus consistent exercise. A good weight loss rule of thumb says eating 100 fewer calories a day while burning 100 more calories a day will produce consistent weight loss over a period of time.
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The firewood rule of thumb

The firewood rule of thumb. As a rule of thumb, a cord of dry hardwood fuel yields about the same usable heat as 200 gallons of heating oil, a ton of hard coal, or about 4000 kilowatts of electricity.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The workout rule of thumb

The workout rule of thumb. There are many methods to gauge your workout, for example, time, reps, distance, calories burned, etc. A fundamental rule of thumb for measuring a workout says, "No pain, no gain."
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Monday, October 25, 2010

The 3 to 1 rule of thumb

The 3 to 1 rule of thumb. A military rule of thumb says a force of one-third the size of the enemy's is required to successfully defend. A force of three times the size of the enemy's is required to successfully attack.
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Sunday, October 24, 2010

The widescreen distance rule of thumb

The widescreen distance rule of thumb. A TV rule of thumb says the perfect place for the best widescreen television viewing experience is the distance of 2.5 times the diagonal size of the screen.
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Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Churchill rule of thumb

The Churchill rule of thumb. Sir Winston Churchill was Britain’s wartime prime minister during World War II. Among other famous quotes, a Churchill rule of thumb says, “if you're going through hell, keep going."
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Friday, October 22, 2010

The "3 times" rule of thumb

The "3 times" rule of thumb. The "3 times" rule of thumb says a person needs to ask you three times to do something before you do it. Otherwise, it is a request they are not serious about.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

The weight gain rule of thumb

The weight gain rule of thumb. The rule of thumb for weight gain says if you consume 100 more calories a day than you burn, you will gain 1 pound in a month or about 10 pounds in a year. Losing weight requires less calories and more physical activity.
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The "impossible" rule of thumb

The "impossible" rule of thumb. By definition, the concept of "possibility" comprises that which one can achieve. The concept of "impossibility" as stated in an old rule of thumb says, "Nothing is impossible to the person who does not have to do it."
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The safe humor rule of thumb

The safe humor rule of thumb. Humor is a great icebreaker, assuming the other party shares your humor. An old humor rule of thumb says if you are in a group setting, play it safe by using self-effacing humor.
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Monday, October 18, 2010

Proverbs

A proverb. Proverbs are like rules of thumb. They are a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people. For example, "all is fair in love and war" and "the longest way around is the shortest way home."
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Sunday, October 17, 2010

The day counter’s rule of thumb

The day counter’s rule of thumb. Counting days is a common habit, for example, the number of days until Christmas, the number of days remaining in a political term, and so on. An old business rule of thumb says don't count the days, make the days count.
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Friday, October 15, 2010

The "above the neck" rule of thumb

The "above the neck" rule of thumb. Is it ok to exercise when sick? The "above the neck" rule of thumb says low-intensity workouts are ok if your symptoms appear above the neck (sneezing, sore throat) versus below the neck (stomach, fever).
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

The healing rule of thumb

The healing rule of thumb. A rule of thumb says it takes two years to assimilate the death of a parent, one year to go through all the anniversaries and birthdays, and one year to begin the personal healing process.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The company stock rule of thumb

The company stock rule of thumb. "Do not put all your eggs in one basket," so goes the old adage. As for investing in your employer, a financial planning rule of thumb says you should invest no more than 10% of your savings.
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The dress decision rule of thumb

The dress decision rule of thumb. There may be an occasion where you are not sure if it calls for formal or informal attire. In this case, the fashion etiquette rule of thumb says it is always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.
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Monday, October 11, 2010

The smoke detector rule of thumb

The smoke detector rule of thumb. Many home smoke detectors rely on batteries. To ensure they work when needed, a good rule of thumb says to check the batteries when you turn your clocks ahead in the spring, and change the batteries when you turn your clocks back in the fall.
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Sunday, October 10, 2010

The football two-point conversion rule of thumb

The football two-point conversion rule of thumb. When do you go for two instead of kicking the extra point? The rule of thumb says go for two after a touchdown when you are ahead by 1, 4, or 5 points, or when you are behind by 2 or 5 points. Otherwise, kick the extra point.
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Saturday, October 9, 2010

The negotiation rule of thumb

The negotiation rule of thumb. Everything is negotiable. A rule of thumb for negotiating says know what you are willing to do and not do, and know how much value you place on the issues you will be negotiating.
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Friday, October 8, 2010

The good advice rule of thumb

The good advice rule of thumb. "Some things are better left unsaid," so goes the old adage. A classic rule of thumb says if you don't have anything good to say then keep your thoughts to yourself.
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Thursday, October 7, 2010

The job creation rule of thumb

The job creation rule of thumb. An economic rule of thumb says the economy needs to create at least 100,000 to 150,000 new jobs every month to keep the unemployment rate from rising.
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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The baseball pitching rule of thumb

The baseball pitching rule of thumb. When two baseball teams face off in a big series, such as the World Series, a baseball rule of thumb says good pitching always beats good hitting. The team with the better pitchers will win.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The resume GPA rule of thumb

The resume GPA rule of thumb. Your resume is the first impression to a prospective employer. A career resume rule of thumb says omit your GPA from your resume unless it is 3.0 or higher.
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Monday, October 4, 2010

The rule of thumb origin

The rule of thumb origin. There are several ideas for where the phrase "rule of thumb" originated. One suggests the phrase "rule of thumb" came from the use of the thumb as a convenient measuring tool, the distance to the first knuckle usually being about one inch.
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Sunday, October 3, 2010

The home renovation rule of thumb

The home renovation rule of thumb. How do you decide to purchase another home versus staying and renovating? A rule of thumb for home renovation says if the renovation costs 10% or less than the price you could sell your home for, it pays to stay and renovate.
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Saturday, October 2, 2010

Murphy’s classic rule of thumb

Murphy’s classic rule of thumb. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong," is Murphy’s Law. One way to translate this quote suggests being proactive and prepared for when things go awry. Another translation succumbs to the notion that everything will go wrong.
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Friday, October 1, 2010

The jogging rule of thumb

The jogging rule of thumb. The rule of thumb for jogging says you burn off roughly ten calories per minute. Jogging thirty minutes, six times a week will burn about 1,800 calories. This equates to losing 1 pound of body fat every two weeks.
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