The Anchor Method

Pick a nearby number you can multiply easily, then adjust. For 19 x 6: use 20 x 6 = 120, then subtract 1 x 6 = 6 to get 114. This works because multiplication distributes over addition and subtraction — a property called the distributive law.

The anchor method handles ugly numbers gracefully. For 48 x 5: anchor at 50 x 5 = 250, subtract 2 x 5 = 10, giving 240. Pick whichever anchor is closest to a round number and your brain does less work because multiplying by round numbers is almost effortless. Speed competition finalists anchor instinctively, scanning each problem for the nearest friendly multiple before computing.