I usually count variable-length things in fours. Try counting the words as you read a paragraph. Three is too inefficient, five is a bit too much for my eyes bu

I usually count variable-length things in fours. Try counting the words as you read a paragraph. Three is too inefficient, five is a bit too much for my eyes but four is just about right. Of course, counting items with fixed dimensions like coins or bottles, you group them appropriately in piles of 5 or 10 or 12 or 16 depending on the "natural" layout, and multiply from there.