# Do you have a professional "rule of thumb"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 29, 2002, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432 "2002-12-29T00:41:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/1 "2002-12-29T00:41:10Z")
In my job of running a small-town newspaper, there are three parts to it as I see it (ads, stories and photos), and one of the women that works with me mentioned that I have a “rule of thumb” for each division. It kind of surprised me, but it’s true.
They are:
Ads - To be profitable the paper must split roughly 50/50, ad to non-ad space.
Stories - A good story should have at least three quotes with at least two people being quoted.
Photos - If you think you’re close enough, get closer.
What about in your jobs? Do you have rules of thumb to get things functioning in a manner you like? Or is it just me being obsessive/compulsive?
---
### Author:  [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/2 "2002-12-29T01:23:42Z")
I work in a university bookstore. When a caller asks us to check if books are in stock, we ask how many they’re looking for. If it’s four or more, we tell them they’ll have to come in and look. Coming from the customer-ass-kissing side of retail, I was surprised by our version of the Rule of Four. “If they want us to look up all their books on the phone, when they come in they’ll want us to go get all their books for them, so you end up helping the same person twice,” a co-worker explained.
In a newspaper workshop, an instructor told us about the “Tell it to Mabel” standard. If you hear something that makes you turn to someone else and say “Hey, have you heard about…?” then it’s newsworthy.
From volunteering on a runaway/youth hotline, I’ve gathered that if a caller has something else going on in the background during a call (ie, washing dishes, playing with a cat, hanging out with a friend), the caller is most likely not in a serious crisis and I’m in for a long-ass call.
---
### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/3 "2002-12-29T01:30:05Z")
Sure.
- A wildcat must have a low-side potential of _at least_ 3:1 return after being risked.
- _Never_ let a non-working interest owner operate a well.
- _Never_ take a non-consent penalty that kicks you out of the deal entirely.
- _Never_ drill something that you know you don’t understand; you may _think_ you understand and be wrong, but that’s an entirely different thing.
I could probably come up with more.
---
### Author:  [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/4 "2002-12-29T01:30:26Z")
**Cabinetmaking**
1- Work towards a glue.
Always focus on the next subassembly. Get something gluing. While it’s drying, you can busy yourself with something else. When task number two is complete, you can return to the first one (it’s dry) and proceed. This is also true of varnish and laquer. Chemical processes cannot be speeded up by intervention, so try to get them going early in the game.
2- Have a layout and cutlist before begining.
This one is helpful because all of the details are already worked out. All the workman has to do is build the piece that already exists in theoretical space. The opposite technique is something I call “cut to fit woodworking”. In a cut to fit mode no master plan exists. The workman measures the space between two parts, cuts a new piece to fit, installs it, and so forth. Nobody who does that has a f\*\*king clue how the piece will look in the end. You cannot run a crew on a job like that either. How can you designate a task like drawer construction when you won’t know how big the drawers are until you build the case around them?
I judge harshly when I see this methodology.
It’s very common in the trade though.
3- If you’re measuring something less than six inches, use a steel rule.
Tape measures are very inaccurate. Use them only when they are the best choice.
Setting a router bit to 5/16ths projection and verifying the setting with a tape measure?
:rolleyes:
Stop that shit! You’re a joke. (Sorry, pet peeve Dept.)
4- Process your materials as flatgoods.
This goes hand in hand with step 2. If you have all your parts cut precisely, and know exactly how they fit with the others, you can drill the shelf holes and such with things lying flat on the bench. Easy! You do not have to drill those holes by twisting your body into some (already assembled) bookcase.
5- Work precise.
Focus like Hell on this one. Always try to be more precise. Be your own harshest judge. If you’re a sixteenth off, think of it as one mile. Think about how you can eliminate that error in the future. Precisely milled parts really do go together better than shoddy ones. That sounds blindingly obvious, but it’s not.
6- Use jigs and fixtures whenever possible.
If you want precision, this is the way to go.
Oh yeah……, you can build anything.
Anybody can. Just make sure it’s plumb, level, and square. 😉
---
### Author:  [@Crescent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescent)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/5 "2002-12-29T02:24:23Z")
Custom framing
Measure twice, cut once.
There are more, but I’m on vacation this week and trying not to think about it a lot!
---
### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/6 "2002-12-29T02:40:57Z")
This one has applied to almost every job I’ve ever had, and in every industry I’ve ever worked in: If it makes sense, it’s against company policy!
---
### Author:  [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/7 "2002-12-29T03:04:25Z")
The more details a student gives about the illness that caused him to miss class, the more likely he is to be lying.
---
### Author:  [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/8 "2002-12-29T03:20:39Z")
When hiring someone, never hire someone that says:
**I really need a job.**
[sup]The only reason I could ever figure is that a person who is sincere assumes you know they need a job. Those not sincere are trying to snow you. Every time I broke this rule, I was sorry.[/sup]
---
### Author:  [@Raini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raini)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/9 "2002-12-29T04:04:11Z")
Nurse
Rule of Thumb…NEVER sleep with the Patient! (Atleast not while he is in the hospital bed) 😉
---
### Author:  [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/10 "2002-12-29T04:58:37Z")
If you can throw a packed corrugated box down one half of a flight of stairs without breaking the contents, you can ship it UPS.
---
### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/11 "2002-12-29T05:08:04Z")
Something I like to remind those who may be considering a shortcut to get their job done where I work.
\*\*You might have to fly on this airplane one day. \*\*
That is usually enough to get their attention. Plus my employer is now holding all its employees legally liable for the work they do on the airplanes. Do something wrong and Boeing gets bit in the ass, they are going to bite us. They are even considering monetary fines for paperwork screwups.
---
### Author:  [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/12 "2002-12-29T05:39:09Z")
I am a mortgage processor. The biggest rule of thumb is “always downplay anything that’s gone awry.” This may sound kind of mean, but I am a professional. My coworkers are professionals. I will get it fixed, I will figure out something. My borrowers are taking out the largest loan they will ever have in their lives, they are putting their homes on the line, and they are understandably nervous about the whole process. It doesn’t help to tell them that something’s screwed up, it just drives them batty.
---
### Author:  [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/13 "2002-12-29T06:04:04Z")
I’m a computer programmer, a profession that is steeped in heuristics. A couple off the top of my head:
- always buffer time estimates 20%-30% for unforseen complications.
- always buffer the above estimates another 20%-30% just to be safe.
- one “function” per function.
Under the category of “programming style” fall a few hundred rules that may qualify as rules of thumb, such as “80 characters per line.”
---
### Author:  [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/14 "2002-12-29T06:09:26Z")
Don’t screw (sex, not the other kind) anyone you work with. People at work are only your friends for as long as you are working with them so don’t bother. Your bosses are just as mercenary as you, expect the worst. Take every single break and never take short lunches when requested.
---
### Author:  [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/15 "2002-12-29T06:38:29Z")
Retail buyer, here -
- Know Thy Customer. My shop won’t sell Bitch brand soap (actual product!), no matter how cute the packaging. Conversely, I am not required to like everything I buy for the store, which leads me to the rule of Beware of Strictly Imposing Your Personal Tastes. I do draw the line at weird porcelain figurines, though.
- Always order less than you think you might sell. The 75% off rack is not a pretty sight, and my staff gives me “gifts” of any merchandise mistakes.
- Always ask for _something_ from the vendor. Free/reduced freight, quantity discount, samples. Anything that will help increase your margin.
---
### Author:  [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/16 "2002-12-29T06:48:51Z")
Don’t tell me your excuses. They never matter. If you don’t need them much, they don’t have to be all that good, and if you need them very often, they can’t be good enough.
Finish what you are doing, unless the interruption involves fire, bleeding, or loss of consciousness.
Yes, you can. You don’t want to, and I understand that, but you can. If you really can’t, then we need to fire you, and hire someone who can, because we need it done, and doing it is your job.
## Tris
“You can’t always get what you want.” ~ M. Jagger/K. Richards
---
### Author:  [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/17 "2002-12-29T07:29:46Z")
My entire profession, rangeland management, is based on rules-of-thumb.
It will rain about 3 inches this month, resulting in X pounds of grass growth.
That cow and calf will eat about X pounds of grass over the course of the month.
There’s about 40% canopy cover of juniper over there.
That soil’s about 10% clay.
And on, and on…
---
### Author:  [@Triss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triss)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/18 "2002-12-29T08:23:43Z")
Business owner, industrial safety equipment:
- Though most industrial accidents are due to human error and most humans will try to blame the equipment, get the healthiest commercial insurance policy the business can afford;
-payroll, taxes and insurance premiums are involiate, suppliers can be pushed;
-good employees are very tough to find, therefore treat them appropriately i.e. regular praise and regular raises. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/19 "2002-12-29T08:33:07Z")
There are 2 basic uncircumventable rules in construction…
1. It takes longer.
2. It costs more.
---
### Author:  [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432/20 "2002-12-29T09:03:49Z")
I’ma gym and tramp coach.
- If you want them to do 2 laps running around the hall, tell them to do three because they will always cut corners.
- Always ask them if they need a drink _before_ they get on the tramp, otherwise they will get two minutes in then need to get off (and waste 2 mins) to get a drink.
- If a kid comes in and says they have a sore foot, expect them to be running around on it in 5 mins.
- Last day of classes before the holidays? 50% of kids will not turn up.
- “Can’t” is not in the dictionary (if you know they can).
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-professional-rule-of-thumb/145432.md?page=2)