Hello gents,
I have about 3500h on the A320 Family.
In my opinion it is important to have a short glimpse inside.
If you have more experience on type, you will most probably not need the rod because you can judge it by visual reference.
What is very difficult to judge, especially at night, is your pitch.
(A320, Flaps 3, crosswind from the left)
You can only check your pitch with reference to your PFD if you fly all types of the A320 Family.
What I would do is to continue with your technique, but I would implement a crosscheck of the pitch. With more experience you most probably will only check the pitch.
Have a good evening,
Seaduck