Aim: The opportunity of greatness lies in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. That anonymous quote summarizes the purpose of this article, that is to discuss some of the little things dealing with the management of day-to-day orthodontic therapy that can not only affect the outcome of treatment, but can also make treatment more efficient and effective. Methods: This article considers various aspects of routine orthodontics, including appliance selection, band and bond placement, and archwire sequencing. The importance of proper bracket positioning, as well as the use of the transpalatal arch and the utility arch as routine parts of orthodontic mechanics is stressed. It also is extremely important for the clinician to have a clear vision of the goals that he or she wants to reach at the end of routine orthodontic treatment, and a general sequence of treatment is presented. Conclusions: It is hoped that some of the details described here as ordinary orthodontics will contribute to the improvement of fixed appliance therapy as practiced on a daily basis. World J Orthod 2000;1:45–54.