I wouldn’t want you to think that I’m advocating some kind of rebellious rule-breaking extravaganza for the sake of it. No, I’ve got to be honest here – there are some things routinely trotted out by parents, teachers and well-meaning friends that will stand you in very good stead. The tricky bit is spotting them.

There’s no point in breaking Rules for the sake of it, you know, however satisfying it might feel.^* There’s far more satisfaction to be had from following Rules, if they make sense. What Rules players become really good at, over time, is developing a well-tuned radar capable of quickly evaluating little nuggets of advice, and swiftly deciding which to break and which to follow. But it does take time, so to help calibrate your inner radar, here’s where I flag up some of these bits of gold dust, so you can quickly pick them out from the chaff.

I’ve put together ten top Rules which are worth following. I’ve never seen anyone go far wrong following these particular principles, and you can trust them to serve you well.