A small rule enforced every single time beats a huge rule everyone knows is optional.

Rules teach by their enforcement, not their wording. The moment an exception gets made quietly, the rule stops being a rule and becomes a suggestion with paperwork. People calibrate to what actually happens, which is why a modest standard held consistently shapes behavior more than an ambitious one that bends.

Look at a standard you have set for a group or for yourself and ask whether it survives contact with a bad day. If it does not, shrink it until it does. A smaller promise you keep is worth more than a large one you negotiate with.