rules

It is very difficult for me to keep track of all the decisions I make. I have started my style sheet for my dissertation. It includes rules like these:

• no contractions
• .3 inch tab
• indent first lines of footnotes
• level 1 subheads: bold type, centered, sentence-style caps
• ragged right margin
• dictionary: Merriam Webster 11th ed.
• check punctuation for correct usage (en and em dashes and colons); serial comma.
• check footnotes: terminal period? full citations at the beginnings of chapters?
• call out promises and recollections: do I fulfill the promise to come back to item A? Do my vide supras match up?
• check verb tenses. All match?

I should make a style sheet for my life, too:

• no sugar before noon or after five
• may not skip exercising for two consecutive days
• may not use cell phone if I have consumed more than 1.5 alcoholic drinks
• may not eat barley for more than three consecutive days
• may not eat beans for more than two consecutive days
• clothing must cover knees
• monthly clothing budget may not exceed half of monthly rent amount
• must pay bills before they are due
• must be out of bed before 8 am
• must eat vegetables every day

My rules are solid. What I need is an editor who will impose deadlines.