Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) recorded some of his principles and ways of doing things in his new book "Binance Life". Zhao Changpeng elaborated on these principles in seven aspects: thinking, teamwork, business and cooperation, communication, products, public relations and leisure life.

The following is the original text:

Thinking style

1. Don’t waste time

Time is the most limited resource and must be used wisely. The key to managing time is not what to do, but what not to do. You don’t have to make a to-do list; the things that really matter will come to the fore. You need a “don’t do list” or your time will be wasted without even realizing it. There will be no long meetings or casual meetings such as “getting to know each other” or “exploring cooperation”. 80% of human communication is gossip, just cut it off. Don't talk nonsense, don't say "I'll keep the story short", just get straight to the point. No polite greetings, just say what you have to say and get to the point. Every meeting should have a clear purpose: What do you want? Meetings only last five minutes by default. Don’t write long articles or make PPT, just list a few key points and draw a bar chart (just like this document). The principle of time is similar to many other principles. Don’t chase those high-sounding collaborations, do things that are easy to implement first. Decline early and save time for both parties. I tend to be passive in doing business, and when others come to me proactively, things happen faster. Reduce social interaction and focus on quality rather than quantity of friends. I don’t watch TV, the news, sports events, or listen to music. I'm very tight on time, and some people even say I'm rude. It doesn't matter, what I want is not politeness, but efficiency. Time is far more precious than money. When you truly start to cherish your time, success and wealth will come naturally. Small changes, long-term persistence, will make a huge difference.

2. Don’t just focus on money

Too many people desperately chase money, but they don’t get it. Don’t chase money, create value. You can create 10 points of value and only take away 8 points. If you persist for a long time, your wealth will be unimaginable. If you only get 5 points and you can make your business bigger, the money will come faster. Making money is not about earning the most from one business, but about leaving some room every time so that others are willing to cooperate with you all the time, so that you can earn more in the long run.

3. Make limited resources valuable

Many things in the world are limited: health, energy, connections (team, friends, family), and time, most of which are difficult to expand infinitely. You can only save time and health. In terms of connections, building a strong team to amplify value is usually the core ability of a leader. You don’t have to have many friends, just have a few close friends. I'm not a network center, and I can't maintain many relationships. It's too time-consuming. I will keep a few "pivot" friends who are well-connected and whom I can call when I need help. You may find that money is not on this list. Money is not a limited resource, so don’t take it too seriously. Establish a good reputation and make money naturally.

4. Keep the bottom line

The moral red line must not be touched. If you touch it, you will have to pay the price sooner or later. Treat users by always doing the right thing, not the easy thing. Protect your users and your success (and wealth) will be beyond your imagination.

5. Treat others fairly

This principle has a wide scope of application, covering personal relationships, getting along with colleagues, and business cooperation. I firmly believe in treating others fairly, not taking advantage of others, nor letting others take advantage of myself. Easier said than done. Everyone has subjective biases and will favor themselves. You have to exercise restraint and try to be as objective as possible. On the other hand, don't be too weak when facing strong people. If you can't grasp this balance well, you won't be able to go far, so you must learn it.

6. Establish long-term, win-win relationships and cooperation

"Long-term" and "win-win" have long been said too much, but I always firmly believe it. Success is built over time, and if you want to maintain a healthy long-term relationship, you must achieve a win-win situation. A reasonable deal must benefit both parties. Always think clearly: What does the other person want? Wishful cooperation cannot last long. You can only keep looking for weak new partners, and the input-output ratio is destined to be negative. Short-term gains are usually very small. I am opposed to pursuing only short-term wins. It will eliminate long-term value, distract your energy, and prevent you from focusing on the long-term. Short-term projects themselves are also time-consuming and have extremely high hidden opportunity costs. Focus on the long term and strive for greater victory. Play "The Infinite Game" (recommended reading "The Infinite Game" by Simon Sinek). When I say “short-term wins,” I mean one-time benefits, not small wins that accumulate step by step and eventually lead to something big. The latter is crucial.

7. Focus

Success is not about how many things you do, but how well you do at a few chosen things. Only by focusing can we do it deeply and thoroughly, eliminating all interference. I don’t have any hobbies, I exercise for 30 minutes a day, and I don’t have much to take care of. I just focus on things that cost less time. I do almost nothing else besides Binance (this article was written in 2022). Unlike some extremely successful people who are CEOs of multiple companies, I rarely get involved in other businesses or diversify my investments (which may not be appropriate for most people, but it works for me). The risk of doing this is that the vision may be too narrow and opportunities will be missed, but in today's era of information explosion, this is difficult to happen.

8. Stay away from “toxic” relationships

Resolutely remove those who are immoral and difficult, those who are contrary to your values and mission, and those who extremely consume your time, out of your life. Among them, people who are "time consuming" are most likely to be ignored. There is also a type of "high-maintenance" people who always need your attention, get emotional over small things, talk to you, and repeatedly seek approval. This type of person is not at fault per se, but I (CZ) can’t handle it. I only deal with people who are worry-free and confident. There are also people who talk a lot and like to chat, which is true, but I don’t have time to chat, so I will avoid such people. This will be mentioned later in the communication section.

9. Positive attitude

Everyone will encounter ups and downs in life, whether it is family, friends or work. A positive attitude often brings better results. I can’t explain the specific reasons, but that’s how the world works. There is a saying that I have remembered for many years and has always been very useful: Question: "What should you do when you reach the bottom of life?" Answer: "Keep walking and you can get out." In addition, as long as you firmly believe that you are doing the right thing, the negative voices will naturally fade away, and you will have a positive force. This is also one of the great benefits of sticking to the bottom line.

10. Take care of things yourself

Correct mentality is the prerequisite for success. Take responsibility for your work and take pride in it. Don’t just “get the job done,” “take it personally.” Don’t just think about building a wall, think like you are building a church. If you don’t feel like you’re “building a church,” it’s time to find another job. Think more about those things that no one mentions but that you can take the initiative to improve and make things better. Be fully responsible for the results and take full responsibility for success or failure. If you truly have this mentality, you will do an exceptionally good job and be promoted faster.

11. Keep learning

The world is constantly changing, and you must learn with it. Read books, live in different cities, and build a complete worldview. I rarely read news or short articles. I think a ten-minute article is easy for people to scratch the surface and forget after reading it. The content of the book is more profound, with logic and cases. Read for eight hours at a time, and the truly new knowledge will stay in your mind. I think reading is the most rewarding way to improve yourself. I buy about 300 books a year, but I don’t read them all. I read about 80 books in a year. I try to write something every day, a blog or an article (like this one). Writing can help me organize my thoughts and make my ideas clearer. Writing itself is thinking.

12. Be an early participant

I am willing to try new things, download new applications and new tools, and often push Binance to use new tools. I read and constantly apply new principles to Binance. That’s why I got into blockchain early – it’s a new technology related to money. Early entrants can often reap exponential returns while taking on limited risk. As long as you control the downside risks, you can realize exponential returns. Be a pioneer. Everyone can be an early adopter in some field. For example, if someone likes to watch movies as soon as they are released, they are early adopters in the film field. I usually wait until my friends recommend it before reading it. Obviously, watching movies early doesn't mean much in life. Choose an area of ​​influence and become a pioneer there.

13. Understand the world

If you want to achieve something, you must understand how the world works. If you want to understand the operation of human society, you can read "A Brief History of Humanity". We live in an artificial world, and everyone's world is different, which is equivalent to living in different dimensions. You have to understand other people's perceptions. Don’t look at things in black and white. The world is rarely binary. Many people think the world is too simple and it is difficult to achieve success. Look deeper, most things in reality are gradual. Finding a balance is often the key and is more effective than a simple yes/no. For example, some people naively believe that all rules are good. Rules are made by people and may not all be correct. You can read books like "On the Laws" (1850) and "Economics in One Lesson". Dare to question the world. The world is built by those who do not believe in “common sense” or “rules.” That’s right, rockets don’t have to be thrown away after use, they can be returned and landed for recycling; cars are still useful even if they can only drive on paved roads; the earth is not flat; currency should not be an asset with unlimited supply. Also understand the limitations of the world. We don't live in a perfect world. Don't fight a battle you can't win, get around it, look in another direction, do something else. There is so much more you can do in this world, focus on the positive contribution you can make.

14. Don’t be fooled by tags

People like to attach labels to understand and adapt to the world, but labels often mislead us and limit our thinking. You have to penetrate labels and understand first principles, that is, the essence and operating logic of things. For example, when you think of "company", you may think of office workers in a busy office building. But what exactly is a company? Is that the registration document? Is it an office? Is it an employee? Is it a product? Today, a group of people can work together without registering a company, without a physical office, or even with a central command. They can still cooperate efficiently and have a reasonable incentive mechanism. For another example, what is money? I've seen countless debates about "what is money". “Money is what the government issues”, “It’s not money if it can’t pay the bills”, “Bitcoin is not money”. I don’t care at all whether Bitcoin can be called “money”, I only care about whether it is useful, valuable, and liquid. 99% of everything we talk about is a label. Job titles, rankings, companies, and even countries are all concepts (or labels) invented by humans. See through them and grasp the essence.

15. Hard rules

There are some hard rules in the world. If you bang your head against the wall, you will definitely be asking for trouble; if you hurt others, there will be consequences; if you lose your credibility, it will be difficult to raise funds and succeed in the future. These are iron laws of life and must be respected.

16. Have a global perspective

Binance is one of the most widely distributed organizations in the world. There has never been any organization that has reached our level of globalization in terms of users, teams, and thinking. This gives us an advantage that others don’t have, or even know about. We can recruit talent globally and our teams naturally cover all time zones. We implement remote work, so everyone does not have to commute, saving one to two hours a day. We grow simultaneously in more than 180 countries, both locally and globally, and the benefits are countless. Challenges also exist. Communication methods are different, which will be mentioned later; cultures are different, and other people’s understanding of the world is also different. If you can't accept that others think differently than you, then Binance may not be suitable for you; if you like to explore different cultures and different ideas, then Binance will be very suitable for you. Many people think that they are open-minded and able to tolerate global cultures, but until they have a dispute with someone, they feel that "the other person is stupid." Be sure to be aware of this and try to truly develop a global perspective. You can read "Cultural Map". Also note that many labels have different meanings in different regions. For example, in China, the transfer of currency equivalent to more than 50,000 US dollars a year will be controlled; in many parts of the world, it is legal and normal to marry four wives. There are many similar examples. We all live on a small planet called Earth, where national borders are artificially drawn. You must have a global perspective.

Team

17. The team is greater than the individual

In a bad team, no matter how good the individual is, it will be difficult to achieve satisfactory results. Vice versa, for a good team, even if its members struggle, the overall results will usually be good. The interests of the team come first and it is the best choice for each member in the long run. You may have to "sacrifice for the team" in the short term, but you will definitely benefit in the long term.

18. Regular team rotation

Don’t let your organization become rigid. Give new managers more opportunities to grow and quickly adjust “misplaced people” (this may create new problems, but is still necessary). The team structure determines the system architecture. You can read "Team Topology". We don't want the software to be rigid, and the team structure needs to be adjusted regularly.

19. Internal competition is not a bad thing

External competition will always exist, and moderate internal competition is a good thing, as long as professionalism is maintained.

20. Orderly chaos is also a kind of order

This is somewhat counter-intuitive and difficult to explain simply. Looking at the two extremes of "chaos" and "orderly", it is easy to understand that complete chaos is definitely not possible. Many people think that the more organized the better, I disagree. Clear order does have many benefits: clear responsibilities, less overlap and waste, and generally more efficiency. But what most people don’t realize is that too much order often only allows an organization to do one thing efficiently. An order that is too rigid can be harmful. The world is changing, and it is more expensive for organizations with rigid structures to adapt. Our industry is still young and the world is changing rapidly. Organizations with rigid structures experience less innovation, insufficient internal competition, and fewer opportunities for advancement. This is not to say that “chaos” is necessarily good. Where is the balance? We live in an ever-changing world and emerging industries that are redefining traditional concepts such as headquarters, company, team and even money. We implement global remote working, and many traditional structures do not apply. At the same time, we must strictly control many aspects. When we handle users' assets, security, compliance, ethics, and neutrality must be strictly observed. We operate in a regulatory environment where compliance is critical. An “ordered chaos” environment that requires the best, passionate, and committed people. Finding balance is an ongoing challenge. The point is: Chaos is sometimes a feature.

21. Do more local team building

Aim to meet once a month, but due to scheduling issues, it is usually once every two months. Eating together is the best way to build a team, it is simple and effective. Do it locally and organize it across departments. I don’t agree with flying back and forth for team building. The travel cost is high and the time cost is even greater. I don’t want it to look like we’re just taking people around to “play.” For small teams that are truly dispersed, a large team building every 18 months can be an exception, preferably in conjunction with existing travel or event arrangements.

22. Give feedback

I give direct feedback anytime, anywhere, privately or in a group setting. I learned this from Netflix’s book “Eclectic”. I actually prefer giving feedback in a large group so that others can learn from it and I don't have to repeat it multiple times. Many people are surprised when they first receive this kind of feedback, but they quickly get used to it. I give feedback with good intentions, to solve problems and make things better. I hope to build a culture of candid feedback at Binance. I think 99% of people give inadequate feedback to others. When working remotely, we don’t see body language from offline meetings, so we have to rely on direct, candid feedback to compensate. I like the DOT feedback system of Bridgewater Associates (Ray Dalio) very much, and we will find ways to apply it in the future.

23. Not much verbal praise

If you do a good job, you may hear someone say, "Well done, that's great." I rarely say that. On the other hand, if you do something bad and I see it, you will most likely hear my criticism. My reason is:

• We have high standards and strive for excellence, so good results should be the norm. To trumpet every “little” achievement is to lower the bar.

• While working remotely, I cannot see the results of all teams and cover everything. Only praising one part and ignoring the other can easily make people feel psychologically unbalanced, or make them feel that I am biased.

• The feeling of achievement comes from the heart. If I do something well, the inner reward is enough.

• Not efficient enough. Once that's done, it's time to focus on the next goal.

I'm not saying this is a good way, it's just my habit. I think "carrots and sticks" are better, but I haven't yet figured out how to effectively give "carrots" in a decentralized environment. Different cultures have different expectations for this. The "Cultural Map" makes it very clear: Americans usually "praise culture", Asians are more "criticizing culture", and Europeans live in between the two. A more efficient way is to adjust the salary during the next appraisal. So I will also give "carrots", but I will say less. Since the first version was released, I've received a lot of feedback that this is not good, and I don't object to it.

24. Reporting issues vs spreading gossip

It is normal to report problems, but you need to pay attention to the method. Gossip means you complain about others one-on-one with me in private without telling the person involved. It is not advisable to spread gossip, I will not deal with it and just ignore it. In fact, doing so will leave me with a negative impression of you (rather than the person being complained about). When reporting an issue, schedule a meeting with three people: me, you, and the person you want to report to. This way I can hear both sides of the story at the same time. More importantly, it will force you to have an honest conversation with the person before you come to me. Escalating an issue only requires one meeting, but dealing with gossip requires multiple one-on-one sessions. You know my attitude towards time. Please report problems and don't gossip. It's hard to do, but being able to express your dissatisfaction with someone or something in a professional way is one of the key skills for success. It is important to not be weak or strong, but to find a balance.

25. Recruitment

Teams are critical to success. In fact, for most successful people, their greatest contribution is attracting a group of talented, passionate people and getting them to work together effectively. I think this is my biggest value to Binance. Recruitment is obviously critical in this process.

• Hire passionate people. Enthusiasm is one of the traits I value most. We work remotely and cannot (and should not) micromanage. People without enthusiasm will be lazy and eventually eliminated. Hire people who have a mission and want to “build churches.”

• Mission is more important than money. Don't hire people who care about salary and benefits. These types of people are rarely mission-driven. Remuneration should be fair and reasonable. People who bargain excessively during the recruitment phase are also often high-maintenance employees. You know what I think of these types of people.

• Hiring motivated people. Recruit people who can grow in the position, not people who have just "been there and know what they do." Past experience is helpful in many scenarios, and is even a prerequisite in positions such as compliance, but the latter can easily fall into a fixed mindset and be constrained by past experience.

• Recruit doers, not talkers. Recruit people who are both capable and expressive, not people who can only talk but cannot do anything. Competent but inarticulate doers also have limitations. They may be feasible in narrow technical fields, but they cannot be too many in the team.

• Do not value titles. Don't hire people who care about titles. This won’t be a veto, but it’s definitely not a good sign.

• Hire someone who can be your boss. Always hire the best people. To win, you have to be part of a strong team. Recruit people who are better than you, who are on par with you, and who can even be your superiors. Recruiting someone who can be your boss is one of the best ways to advance in your career and also reflects your maturity.

• If you have any doubts, don’t hire. If you have any concerns during the hiring process, don't hire. Small doubts during the interview will always turn into big problems in the future.

26. Don’t try to motivate people who have no self-motivation

This is like dragging a dead horse, impossible and worthless. For those who are contrary to your mission and values, do not recognize your leadership, or are simply lazy, you cannot motivate them and let them develop elsewhere. People either have self-motivation or they don't. Only work with people who have self-motivation. We implement remote work, and it is easy for lazy people to take advantage of it because there is no one to supervise us at all times. But this is also a good thing. People can fish for a day, a week or even a month, but if they cannot get results after a few months, they will naturally be exposed. It is easier to detect such people remotely, and once discovered, let them leave as soon as possible. I don’t do pep talks. I think they are just short-term stimulation and cannot drive for a long time.

27. Lead by example

Work hard, stick to your values, and lead by example. People watch what you do, not what you say.

28. Never micromanage

Micromanagement takes more time than doing it yourself. If you need to micromanage someone, it’s time to let them go.

29. Recruitment depends on qualifications, and then on results

Use "years of experience" to screen candidates, and once on board, use results to measure performance.

30. Eliminate the bottom one

I believe in "last elimination". I have seen many comments against forced distribution and the creation of internal competition, but I do not agree. In my experience, high performers enjoy working with high performers. When a group of high performers work together, the work itself becomes addictive. If low performers are mixed in, overall efficiency will be brought down. Please leave the last employee. I also agree with what is said in the book "Eclectic" that "a team is not a family". It sounds uncomfortable, but organizations are really different from families. We care about each other, but we won’t carry low performers along, which would be irresponsible to the rest of the team.

31. Use output as a goal

Measure by output metrics (users, revenue, market share) rather than input metrics (tasks, features, meetings, hours worked).

32. Don’t take your goals too seriously

There are many potential flaws in goals and goal setting. Many people have discussed them. I will not go into details, such as frustration when unable to achieve them, no longer working hard after easily achieved, rigid direction, etc. My biggest opinion on the goal is:

• Goals are never precise or scientific enough and basically rely on estimates. The market in our industry changes extremely quickly.

• Discussing goals is too time-consuming (and expensive).

So, set a goal, work toward it, and then set new goals when you achieve it. Don't be too serious, don't be too arrogant. For example, when Binance was founded, we set a goal: to become the top ten exchanges in the world within three years. As a result, we became number one in the world within five months, and we still haven’t stopped.

33. Tolerate failure, but not all

Failure You often hear that “we tolerate failure” and that we emphasize “accountability.” What is the relationship between the two? Conflict? I believe accountability is key to any successful team. Therefore, during review, I often ask "Who is responsible?" and it must be a specific person's name, not a team or group. This can easily be misunderstood as “intolerance for failure” or even “blame-shifting culture”. My view of failure is more nuanced: I'm okay with some types of mistakes, but not all. I can accept mistakes made with honesty, hard work, and initiative. I rarely punish people who take responsibility for honest mistakes. I will not accept covering up mistakes, muddying the waters, passing it off to the team or leaving people. The more you cover up, the more I want to get to the bottom of it. I also cannot accept people who are completely negligent, indifferent, ignorant of the situation, and do nothing, nor can I accept mistakes made out of laziness. If you work hard, give your best, be transparent and responsible, you don’t have to be afraid.

Business and cooperation

34. Make business simple

Complex cooperation with too many variables can easily fall through, and it can be difficult to move forward once a contract is signed. Complex cooperation is difficult to understand and misunderstandings are easy to occur. There is always one party who feels that it is suffering in some aspects and wants to modify it. Make cooperation simple and clear: Party A pays and gets; Party B pays and gets.

35. Say “no” to useless cooperation early

Too many people waste time on useless “collaboration” discussions. When the mind is occupied by these things, there is no time to think about truly valuable cooperation.

36. Advance quickly, or give up

Proceed quickly or say no early, both options are possible. The worst thing is procrastination. The opportunity cost of thought procrastination is ridiculously high, it occupies your brain and prevents you from doing anything else. If things are moving too slowly, give up and it's not worth continuing and move on. This applies especially to business collaborations. If the other party advances too slowly, or the cooperation is too complicated to finalize, it is best to stop in time to avoid subsequent troubles.

37. Refusal to be exclusive

Long-term, win-win cooperation does not require exclusive terms. People who demand exclusivity often lack confidence in their ability to compete or in the long-term value they can provide. This type of partnership might be suitable for a short-term (or one-time) compensation package, but you know my point: don’t spend too much time on short-term partnerships. The world is changing too fast, don’t lock yourself in, you can’t predict the future. Don’t sign an exclusive contract, don’t tie yourself down, and don’t expect to tie down others.

38. Always have a termination clause

There must always be a termination clause in the contract, there must be a way to exit a non-win-win relationship, and the right to choose should always be retained. Many people only consider the optimistic scenario when signing a contract. This is wrong. It is necessary to consider the worst-case scenario. This is the meaning of the contract.

39. Always limited liability

Never sign a contract that could result in huge or “unlimited” liability. When signing a contract, consider the extreme worst-case scenario, not the “normal/best” scenario.

40. No exceptions

Never give a customer special treatment that others do not have, and always treat all customers equally.

41. Passively develop business and make successful cooperation

I (CZ) am usually relatively passive in business development, and the same is generally true in life. People often don't understand this, or don't know how to work. Don't confuse this with enthusiasm. I am passionate about what I do, but take a passive approach when it comes to proactively reaching out to others and establishing business cooperation. I don’t pursue glamorous collaborations. When doing business, I usually don’t take the initiative to win over big customers or partners. I spend a lot of energy teaching them about the encryption industry and helping them with internal legal affairs and board of directors approval. The conversion cycle is too long. They also often require unequal conditions and a low input-output ratio. Instead, I love working with top companies that come to me. They already intend to enter the encryption field and want to cooperate with us. We only need to finalize the methods and conditions, and the input-output ratio is much higher. Even if they are not giants like Apple or Google, as long as we continue to accumulate small wins, big partners will come to us sooner or later, and most of them will happen naturally. Other examples: I won’t waste my time trying to convince people who are biased against crypto, like Warren Buffett. I choose to communicate with people who want to learn, even if they are not that famous. I will not go to countries or regions that have a negative attitude towards encryption. I will help places that are willing to accept encryption, even small countries. The core is: to do cooperation that we can finalize and implement. Don’t confuse this with “short-term thinking.” These are easy-to-implement cooperations, even if the partners are not among the ten most well-known companies in the world, they are still long-term cooperations. There are several points to note about this approach:

• We must be good enough before others are willing to seek us out. Fortunately, Binance has this condition now, and we must maintain it. I had this mentality before Binance was successful, and the results will naturally be better after success.

• We need to be good at screening. Nowadays, there are many cooperations coming to our door, especially with Binance’s current status. Choosing the best collaboration is not as easy as it seems. Likewise, quickly grabbing the core of a collaboration is my go-to method.

• Even so, we still need to take the initiative sometimes to prevent the other party from also having a "passive" mentality. Be specific when reaching out; if the person doesn't respond, you know they're not interested.

The same is true in life. I don’t go out of my way to meet a celebrity, I only interact with people who come to me.

Communication

42. Save time by saying “no” early and often

The most effective tool for saving time is saying no. Someone wanted to discuss an "important" but vague collaboration, and I said no. I was asked to meet a certain important person, but without a clear purpose, I refused. Someone invited me to see an art exhibition, but I refused. I was asked to watch F1, but I declined. Soccer games, no... I also attend these types of events with friends, but the default answer is no. This frees me up to do more important things, even if it's just staying in my hotel room. I was able to think and focus on more important things, like writing this article.

43. Communication should be concise and direct

Always state your intentions or goals: What do you want? Before explaining the background, say "I want...". The other party may agree directly without you having to explain.

44. Write concisely

Read "The Magic Weapon of Writing". I hate it when people either don't write or write too long, which means they either don't take the time or have the ability to think clearly. For me, I don’t want to see more than:

• 15 minute meeting: 3-5 key points

• 30-60 minute team meeting: half page to one page of content

• Monthly or Quarterly Business Review: 5 pages maximum

• No PPT, no fancy slides, just text and simple bar charts

• Blogs, articles or books can be appropriately long

Learn to write good content, and I am still practicing.

45. Messages take precedence over meetings

There is an old saying that I don’t agree with: “If you can call, don’t send messages; if you can meet, don’t call.” I advocate the opposite: “If you can call, don’t meet; if you can send messages, don’t call.” Both methods are correct, and meeting in person is better for difficult conversations, but for most daily communications, I value efficiency over formality. You need to establish enough trust (or credibility) with the person you are communicating with, understand each other, not be suspicious, and think the best. We work most of it remotely, so I work that way.

46. Avoid communication chains

Don’t talk to people who are relaying information for too long, otherwise the information will be distorted. Communicate directly to the source. At work, we often let project managers or other managers act as intermediaries to avoid overly long communication chains. Pull the source into a group or meeting while controlling the size of the meeting.

47. Say it clearly in one message, don’t send multiple messages

Sending multiple messages will cause the other party to receive multiple notifications, and it may take longer for me to wait for a reply. One message, tell it all. Yes, I try to optimize my time this way. I don't like chatting with people who have "bad communication habits". They have plenty of time, and I don't.

48. Don’t argue in instant messaging

Don't argue or debate in chat software, pick up the phone and communicate via video or voice.

49. Too much communication is not good either

Too little communication is not good, and too much communication is not good either. If you have to constantly overcommunicate to get things moving, it means the underlying problem is not solved and you need to address the core issue.

50. Questions come with background

We work in a remote environment, many colleagues cannot meet in person, and problems are easily misunderstood. When asking a question, be sure to explain why you are asking the question.

51. Bring your unit

• Bad: "We spent 40k."

• Good: "We spent $40,000."

• Bad: "The rent is $40,000."

• Good: "The rent is $40,000 per year."

Don’t let the other party guess without writing the unit. There are many currencies in the world, and today there are also cryptocurrencies. Communicate as accurately as possible so that the information can be more complete.

52. Keep meetings short

Meetings should be kept as short as possible, 5 minutes is ideal. If you can't hold a 5-minute meeting with a colleague you work closely with, it means you haven't formed a tacit understanding yet. Find a way to do it.

53. Meet on time

Enter the meeting 1 minute early. Set your alarm for 3:59 instead of 4:00 to make sure you start on time at 4:00.

54. No introduction or background, just say it

• Don't use the old-fashioned "I'll talk about the main points first, then expand, and finally summarize", just talk about the content directly.

• Don’t start with “Today’s agenda is…” Go straight into the meeting.

• Don’t ask “Can you hear me? Can you see my screen?”, test your equipment in advance and get started.

• Don't say "Thank you all for attending..." and just jump into the meeting.

Start with "I/we want..." For example: We want to hire 10 more people; we need X budget. If the other party agrees, the meeting will end, and there is no need to explain too much background or foreshadowing.

55. Discussion with less than 10 people

Only 5-10 people who know the topic best can participate in the discussion. Too many people will be inefficient. Meetings with more than 10 people should be short meetings to quickly synchronize information.

56. Remove silent people

If you attend a discussion and don't say a word during the entire discussion, you probably shouldn't have attended. Just read the minutes.

57. Write down key points before the meeting

Write down the key points before the meeting. Writing them down can help clarify your thoughts.我（CZ）是视觉型学习者，光靠听能记住的很少。书面文件也更容易转发，口头内容无法转发。可以搜一下 “传话游戏”。书面文件不要太长，30 分钟的会议，一页纸足够。

58. 不用PPT

那是浪费时间，用要点和柱状图展示历史与趋势即可。

59. 不开“介绍性”会

我不参加只是见面认识、互相了解、探索性的会议。我不是枢纽型人脉，也不擅长维护太多关系，更喜欢有明确目的的会议。有人可能觉得太 “功利”，但高效。可能会得罪一些人，但我的目标不是和所有人做朋友，而是把事情做成。

产品

60. 专注于用户

拥有用户是核心，其他都没那么重要。没有用户就没有价值，好好对待用户。

61. 只做能扩大的产品

只做能规模化的产品。先做最小可行产品，然后要么关停、转型，要么全力扩大。如果无法规模化，就不要做。

62. 人人都是产品经理

每个人都是产品经理。只要在工作，你就是产品经理；生活中，你是自己的产品经理。产品开发内容很多，我不展开。

公共关系

63. 不要搞大动静的发布

上线第一天不做大张旗鼓的宣传，总会出现问题。等系统 / 产品稳定运行一周左右，再做大规模宣传。

64. 不要宣传空洞的备忘录或意向书

只宣传有实际结果的事，除非宣传本身能带来显著好处。小心那些只想借我们品牌背书的小合作方。

65. 不延迟发布，好了就宣布

我不认同一种做法：有时公关团队建议等某个日期再宣布已准备好的消息。理由可能是：现在是周五晚上，新闻效果差，等周一；刚宣布过其他事，需要错开；留到圣诞节发布，那时新闻少。这些只会造成不必要的拖延，推高后续工作效率损失，远大于 “新闻效果更好” 的微小优化。工作拖延成本极高，推迟发布只是让事情在人们脑中多停留一段时间，毫无必要。好了就宣布，然后做下一件事。发推文也是如此。很多社交媒体专家建议在一天最佳时间发布，如果你专门做社交媒体或许有用。我有想法就发，否则让想法在脑中多停留几小时的心理成本，不值得那点所谓最佳效果。发完，我就去做别的事。

66. 回应记者

如果不回应，他们会按最坏情况报道。回复他们，留下记录，必要时自行发布。

67. 快速回应负面新闻

否则负面新闻会扩散，除非你确定那家媒体，掀不起风浪。

68. 决策框架

做出好决策是可以练习的。我大致遵循以下思维框架：

• 第一性原理。如果决策触及核心原则，就按原则来，简单直接。

• 小事 vs 大事。小事快速决定，或授权他人，然后继续。比如去哪吃饭、小额投资，影响小的事。大事收集数据、小组讨论，过一晚再定。比如大额赞助、投资等。

• 可逆 vs 不可逆。有些决策可逆，比如开发新功能，随时可以停、转做其他事或关停，只会损失有限时间精力，可快速决定，预期试错。有些决策难以逆转，比如大额赞助预付款、收购大公司并整合团队等，需要更慎重。

• 我是否专业？如果是自己熟悉的领域（比如技术、产品），我决策更快；在没把握的领域，比如市场营销，要么授权，要么请教专家，或更谨慎决策。

• 信息是否足够？小事不需要太多信息，大事尽量获取必要信息。但归根结底，我们常常要在信息有限的情况下做决策。

• 最后，通常做决策并执行，比不做决策好。不做决策本身就是一种决策。

休息、保持冷静、放松

有人问我睡眠时间、倒时差等问题，所以加上这部分。

69. 睡眠

建议找到让你精力最充沛的睡眠方式。我晚上睡 5-6 小时，下午通常再小睡 30-45 分钟。小睡后我精神最好，其次是早上醒来一小时后。我会在这个时间段做高强度思考或艰难决策，其余时间处理日常事务。一个小秘密：小睡也是我倒时差的方法。时差严重时，我会睡久一点，分段睡眠帮助很大。另外，累了就放松或小睡。

70. 性格冷静

我性格冷静。如果别人情绪波动幅度是 10，我大概是 5。我也有强烈情绪，但不会过度兴奋或悲伤。这种冷静性格在高压环境下很有帮助，作为新兴快节奏行业的创业公司，我们经常面对这种情况。这种性格一部分天生，一部分后天练习。我信奉 “模拟理论”，对保持情绪冷静很有帮助。坚守高道德标准也有帮助，知道自己在做正确的事，就没太多可担心的，让我内心强大。知道自己对世界有积极影响，也很有帮助。

71. 不追求豪华办公室

这一点可能也有争议。我不相信豪华办公室那一套。我在彭博办公室工作过，有鱼缸、无限量食物、按摩服务，我不觉得这些能提升生产力或士气。就像住风景很好的公寓，两秒就习惯，之后毫无作用。我更喜欢功能齐全的（家里或酒店）“办公室”，有高速网络、外接显示器、升降桌和手机支架。旅行时，我把行李箱放桌上当升降桌。我喜欢用手机通话，同时在笔记本上看文档，对我很管用。

72. 放松和娱乐

我和多数人一样放松。每天运动，做点体育活动，喜欢单板滑雪。看些电影（通常是别人推荐的），去新城市会看看景点，和朋友一起放松、吃饭、小酌。我不追求奢侈品、豪车、珠宝等，尽管我的生活方式在大多数人看来已很不错。我经常旅行，住不错的酒店，也会被邀请参加豪华派对（其实我通常不太喜欢）。我喜欢小物件：手机、相机、无人机，甚至功能多到我用不上的智能手表。