Experiment with writing down number measurements for several different categories so that the next time you are cooking, sewing, or measuring furniture, you will get the right measurement the first time. The most pronounced difference in measuring categories is between liquids — which are measured in cups, liters and gallons — and solids. Solids are measured in inches, feet, grams and sometimes tablespoons, as is the case with measuring solid butter. Practice measuring within the different categories and memorize the units for quick calculations.

Step 1

Write down waist, bust, and hips in inches. For example, measure a person’s hips with a tape measure. If the measurement is 36 1/2, write down “36 1/2” or “36.5 inches.”

Step 2

Write down liquid or solid measurements in cooking in cups, quarts, gallons, teaspoons and tablespoons. For example, a recipe calls for liquid measurements in cups. If the recipe calls for three cups of milk for a recipe, write “3 cups.”

Step 3

Write down measurements for a room, a piece of furniture, or another object in feet and inches. For example, measure a room that it is 12 feet wide and 12 feet long. Write down the measurement as “12-by-12 feet.”