How do I keep my brickwork level and plumb?

You can lay a course, but keeping it level, plumb, and clean all at once still slips away from you. That is one of the honest frustrations of masonry. The basics are simple to name and hard to hold together under the pace of real work. This is not a thinking problem; it is a habit problem. The masons who make it look easy check constantly and slow down at the exact moments most men speed up. Their steadiness is built from small repeated habits, not talent. Slow your pace on the next wall and check level and plumb after every few bricks, not at the end. It will feel slow now. Soon the checking becomes automatic, and clean, straight work stops being luck.