676 items in 34 sections
Firmest evidence439 items graded A
Most worth doing114 items of very high value for cost
Reading the numbersA glossary of the research terms
The guide
Spend the least money, time and energy to get back the most lifespan, money and personal freedom
It covers how to live long, how to get sick less, and how to save someone when something goes wrong. It covers how to waste less money, and which things get people scammed or land them in a lawsuit. It covers what you can claim when you have no job and no money, and what paperwork it takes to open a shop, start a company or build a website. It also covers dating, marriage and having children, going abroad and learning a skill. Institutional matters such as law, medical insurance (医保) and social insurance are written according to the rules currently in force in mainland China. 676 items of advice, each stating what you spend, what you get back and how solid the evidence is; sources cite only journal papers and official documents, and for a few cases the authorities do not make public, original bylined news reports are cited with a web archive attached.
You don't have to do all of it: this is a list of options ranked by value for cost, not a to-do list. Pick one or two and that counts; the author hasn't done most of them either.
Questions this guide answers
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Section 1·43 items
Don't Die Early
What can you do, spending almost no money, that clearly lowers your chance of dying early?
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Section 2·44 items
Don't Die Slowly
How much life do smoking, drinking, sitting for long periods and staying up late really cost, how exactly do you quit smoking and drinking, and how should you choose and use everyday cooking oil?
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Section 3·25 items
Don't Waste Energy
Not enough energy each day, always being interrupted: how do you change that?
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Section 4·18 items
Don't Waste Time
Where does the time go, how do you do fewer things that bring no return, and how do you treat procrastination?
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Section 5·46 items
Don't Waste Money
Where should your savings go so they aren't eaten up by interest, fees and scams?
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Section 6·31 items
The Counter-List
Which supplements, health checkup packages and rip-offs that prey on the gullible can you simply not buy?
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Section 7·22 items
How to Get By When You Have No Money
Lost your job, owed wages, out of money: what can you claim, and where can you go for help?
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Section 8·46 items
Don't Drag Yourself Down: Legal and Financial Safety
Whose are the betrothal gift (caili), a home bought before marriage and large transfers made while dating; what is the first step when someone reports you to the police with an accusation or files a report against you built on fabricated facts; if you got into trouble yourself, how much can coming forward on your own reduce the sentence; and can you pursue accountability and claim compensation afterward?
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Section 9·26 items
Legal Red Lines Ordinary People Cross
Which “side jobs” and small favors done in passing can turn an ordinary person into a criminal defendant?
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Section 10·20 items
Are Love and Marriage Worth It?
When pursuing someone, should you cast a wide net or go all in on one person, can a long-distance relationship work, and what do you bring to register your marriage?
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Section 11·19 items
Red Lines for Programmers and Tech Workers
Writing which code, or taking which gigs, can get you a criminal sentence?
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Section 12·24 items
Starting a Business: Don't Lose the Family Savings
Before borrowing money to open a shop or start a company, what should you think through first?
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Section 13·44 items
Emergencies: What to Do First
Someone has collapsed and isn't breathing, heavy bleeding, a fire, getting lost: what do you do first?
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Section 14·10 items
Account and Information Security
Your account has been stolen, your phone is lost: what is the first step?
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Section 15·9 items
Renting and Buying a Home
What do you do when your deposit is withheld, your landlord throws you out or a long-term rental apartment company collapses, and if you want to move to the countryside, can you buy a rural house?
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Section 16·9 items
Living With a Chronic Illness
After a chronic illness is diagnosed, how do you manage it over the long term and spend less?
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Section 17·10 items
When There Are Older People in the Family
How should guardianship, wills and money for older people be arranged in advance?
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Section 18·6 items
Is Raising a Child Worth It?
What can you claim for having a child, and how much time and money will it take up?
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Section 19·19 items
On the Job, Leaving a Job, and Work Injuries
How are overtime pay and annual leave calculated, how much compensation should you get when laid off, and if you are injured at work, how is it determined and how do you get the money?
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Section 20·14 items
Caring for a Newborn
Your child has just been born: what are the few most important things?
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Section 21·11 items
Going Abroad, Travel and Safety Overseas
Which countries should you not go to right now, and if something happens, how far will the embassy or consulate go?
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Section 22·10 items
How to Relax: Entertainment Venues and Stress Relief
How do you avoid the traps at KTV, internet cafes and escape rooms, and what helps most when you are under a lot of stress?
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Section 23·23 items
Which Skills Are Worth Learning
Learning welding, learning English, getting certificates: which really pay for themselves, how do you learn so as to save time, and where do you apply for a professional title, and is it worth it?
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Section 24·12 items
Seeing a Doctor: Spend Less, Avoid Detours
How much does the same illness cost when seen at a community health center versus a tertiary hospital; when badly hurt, do you register and queue or go to the emergency triage desk; after treatment, should you get a disability assessment and apply for a disability certificate; how much should one dental implant cost, and does medical insurance cover it?
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Section 25·10 items
What to Do After Someone Dies
When someone in the family has died, what do you do first at the time, which money can be recovered, and which fees can you decline to pay?
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Section 26·11 items
Building a Website or Platform: Licenses, Filings and Servers
To run a website or platform that takes money, which licenses do you need, and where do the servers go?
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Section 27·17 items
Pregnancy and Birth: From Finding Out to Leaving the Hospital With the Paperwork
Pregnant, about to give birth: what to do when, and which papers to get before leaving the hospital?
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Section 28·9 items
Don't Wreck Your Body for Your Looks
Wanting to lose weight, look better or straighten your teeth: which methods will wreck your body?
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Section 29·13 items
After a Major Blow
A loved one has died, you have been laid off, you have received a diagnosis of serious illness: what matters most in the first few months?
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Section 30·18 items
Children Once They Start School
Once a child is in school, which physical and mental health matters can't wait until after the exams?
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Section 31·16 items
The Paths Open After Eighteen
After eighteen, besides studying and working, what paths are there, and what does it take to get onto each?
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Section 32·10 items
Studying Abroad: Status, Work, Insurance and Degree Recognition Back Home
Studying abroad: what counts as keeping your visa status unbroken, and will your degree be recognized back home?
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Section 33·20 items
Living With a Disability
If you or a family member becomes disabled, which complications should you guard against first, which subsidies can you apply for, and what about school, work and guardianship?
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Section 34·11 items
Household Medicines: Don't Let Them Hurt You
Buying cold, fever and stomach medicines and taking them on your own: which can't be taken together, and which should children, pregnant women and older people avoid?
How the guide works
- You don't have to do all of it: this is a list of options ranked by value for cost, not a to-do list. Pick one or two and that counts, leave the rest, and come back to look things up when you need them. The criticism “easier said than done” is fair: the author hasn't done most of them either, and they are written down so they can be found when needed. If you want to pick the low-effort ones, see the “If you only want what is most worth doing” point below.
- If you want to read in order: within each section, items are ranked from highest to lowest value for cost, so just start with the first few items of each section.
- If you can't make sense of the string of numbers: every item has an “In plain terms” line. It turns the research wording in the “Benefit” field into everyday phrasing such as “about 20% less likely to die over the same period” or “detained for a few days, fined so much”. It uses only what the “Benefit” field already says and adds no new numbers. This line alone is enough to make up your mind. The “Benefit” field keeps all the numbers as they were; if you want to check them yourself, look at that field.
- If you only want the firmest conclusions: on the upstream search page, check evidence grade A to keep only the 439 items that have specific numbers and come from meta-analyses or large trials.
- If you only want what is most worth doing: check value for cost “very high” to get the 114 items that cost no money, take no time and need no willpower, and whose benefit also falls in the top tier. Add one “what you get back” on top of that, and you have the priority list for that outcome type.
- No need to be alarmed by section titles that start with “Don't”: a section title names what the section is trying to prevent (Don't Die Early, Don't Waste Time); it does not mean every item under it tells you not to do something. The action actually to take is written in the item title, which always starts with a verb and makes clear on its own whether it is “do this” or “don't do this”. A single section has both kinds: Section 4 has both “Rewrite ‘I plan to do it’ as ‘at what time, where, and what to do when what happens’” and “Don't watch TV or rolling news”. Read by the item titles; don't read the tone of the section title into them.