No Asshole Rule

Every family has an unwritten rule that keeps the peace. No Asshole Rule is that rule, written down.

Notice what the rule really does: it converts a daily negotiation into a settled fact. Settled facts are restful. A mind with enough settled facts can spend itself on things that matter.

The idea is simple, and like most simple ideas it is easy to nod at and hard to use. The nod is free. The use costs attention, every day, in small change.

The housewife with her kitchen budget runs a tighter ship than most finance departments. She knows the difference between price and cost — one is on the tag, the other is on the month.

Money is a good clerk and a terrible master; the arrangement is entirely up to us. You will meet this idea again this week, wearing different clothes. Now you will recognise it.