Rules of Thumb

Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts, and a few Shots in the Dark.

• Not sure which puppy to pick from the litter? Choose the one whose tail wags in sync with its stride, a sign of calmness.
• Exercising for life: For every hour that you're physically active, you can expect to live two hours longer
• Calling in an order: When buying something over the phone, ask for the salesperson's full name. Then he or she is less likely to make a mistake with our order.
• Buying an eyesore: The best way to make money in residential real estate is to buy the worst home on the best street.
• Saving for Retirement: Buy age 30 you should aim to be saving an investing at least 10 percent of your income for retirement.
• Handsome handwriting: the most pleasing height for lowercase italic letters is five times the width of the pen pint, or nib.
• Four Legged Search parties: One trained dog equals 60 search-and-rescue workers.
• Caught Napping: An hour's nap in the middle of the day equals three hours of sleep at night.
• Sleeping in Tongues: You know you've become comfortable with a foreign language when you dream in that language.
• Pausing to Think: When asked an important question, always pause for at least a silent count of three before answering. You will appear to be more thoughtful and intelligent.