Dr.GastroMayo said:

It helps to ask what evidence would change your mind before you look at any.

Mine went the same way, slower. The detail I would add is minor and it is already implied above.

TrialTracker_MD said:

Practical: whatever you change, write down the date and the reason.

Same pattern here, and in the same order. I had assumed I was the exception until I read this.

TrialTracker_MD said:

Practical: whatever you change, write down the date and the reason.

Adding the part of the answer the thread has not reached. Start from the measurement rather than the conclusion. Almost every disagreement here turns out to be two people measuring different things and comparing the numbers anyway.

One concrete data point for the thread. One habit that pays for itself: post the method alongside the number. A figure without its method cannot be checked, and an unchecked figure is how this community accumulates folklore.

Moderator note: leaving this open. It is being argued well and the disagreement is the useful part.