AH, YES….. THOSE WONDERFUL ESTIMATING TOOLS that make life more efficient.  Now they are being assembled into one website for easy reference.

You know, things like:

• When digging a grave by hand, haul away 17 wheelbarrow loads of dirt and pile the rest by the hole. You will have just the right amount to backfill.
• When ants travel in a straight line, expect rain. When they scatter, expect fair weather.
• Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds, and add 37. That’s the temperature in Fahrenheit.

Just to make sure you understand, the term “Rule of Thumb” is defined:

“A rule of thumb is a homemade recipe for making a guess. It is an easy-to-remember guide that falls somewhere between a mathematical formula and a shot in the dark. Rules of thumb are a kind of tool. They help you appraise a problem or situation. They make it easier to consider the subtleties of the topic at hand; they give you a feel for a subject. A rule of thumb is not a joke or a ditty. It is not a Murphy’s Law. Murphy says that things will take longer than we think; a rule of thumb says how much longer. While a proverb says that a stitch in time saves nine, a rule of thumb says to allow one inch of yarn for every stitch on a knitting needle.”

Once this project is completed, then you can honestly say that everything there is, is on the Web.

So far there are nearly 3,700 rules of thumb delineated on the website with more arriving constantly.  Read them all (and send in your favorite) at RulesofThumb.org HERE.

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