In Western society, the numbers 'three' and 'seven' have a long history of being magic numbers.

Examples of three are:

• three wishes
• three little pigs
• red, amber, green
• ready, steady, go
• the good, the bad and the ugly
• past, present, future
• faith, hope and charity

Multiples of three are also used in advertising: slip, slop, slap (sunscreen), and reduce, re-use and recycle.

Examples of seven are:

• seven wonders of the ancient world
• seven Harry Potter books (promised)
• seven deadly sins
• seven habits of effective people
• seven stooges

Try using 'three' and 'seven' next time you're writing and see if makes a difference. For example, offer three options or limit bulleted lists to a maximum of seven points.

If you offer three options, where to do you put your preferred option? First or last?

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