The Power of Bright-Line Rules

A bright-line rule refers to a clearly defined rule or standard. It is a rule with clear interpretation and very little wiggle room. It establishes a bright line for what the rule is saying and what it is not saying.


The Miranda ruling is one example. If a police officer fails to inform a defendant in custody of their rights, then the suspect's statements are not admissible in court. Plain and simple. Clear and bright.

Most of us, myself included, could benefit from setting brighter lines in our personal and professional lives. Consider some common examples:
We might say that we want to check email less frequently.
We might say that we want to drink moderately.
We might say that we want to save more for retirement.
We might say that we want to eat healthier.


But what do these statements really mean?
What does it mean to check email less frequently? Are you going to “try to be better about it” and hope that works? Will you set specific days or certain times when you will be unavailable? Will you check email on weekends? Will you process email only on your computer?
What, exactly, is moderate drinking? Is it one drink per week? Five drinks per week? Ten drinks per week? We haven’t defined it, so how will we know if we are making progress?
What does it mean to save more? More is not a number. How much is more? When will you save? Every month? Every paycheck?
What does eating healthier look like on a daily basis? Does that mean you eat more servings of vegetables? If so, how many more? Do you want to start by eating a healthy meal once per day? Twice per day? Every meal?


It can be easy to make promises like this to yourself, but they do not create bright lines. Fuzzy statements make progress hard to measure.


Now, do we need to measure every area of our lives? Of course not. But if something is important to you, then you should establish a bright line for it. Consider the following alternatives:
I only process email between 11AM and 6PM.
I enjoy a maximum of 2 drinks per night.
I save as muchthat wont affect my family per month for retirement.
I eat at least two types of meals per day.


These statements establish bright lines. These statements make action steps precise and obvious. Vague promises will never lead to clear results.


Before we talk about how to use Bright Line Rules, I wanted to let you know I researched and compiled science-backed ways to stick to good habits and stop procrastinating.