Follow the seven rules laid out in "How to Write a Git Commit Message"

[cbeams]

For those unfamiliar with this article, the recommendation is to read it once through to get complete context on why these rules are valuable to follow: http://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit

For those who are already familiar, the seven rules can be quickly referenced at https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/#seven-rules, and are pasted here below for yet further convenience:

1. Separate subject from body with a blank line
2. Limit the subject line to 50 characters
3. Capitalize the subject line
4. Do not end the subject line with a period
5. Use the imperative mood in the subject line
6. Wrap the body at 72 characters
7. Use the body to explain what and why vs. how