Evidence-based life guide

How to Live Better

An open-source life guide that earned 68.5k stars on GitHub. It explains how to live longer and stay healthier, what to do in an emergency, how to waste less money, and how not to get scammed or caught up in legal trouble. The book spans 34 themed chapters and 765 actionable tips — each one spells out what it costs, what it returns, and how strong the evidence is. Every source is a peer-reviewed paper or an official document, with nothing padded. It’s a rational, high-leverage system for modern life decisions.

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34themed chapters

765actionable tips

Read online

All 34 chapters, each tip with a plain-language explanation, its cost, the size of the benefit, and the evidence grade. Jump to any chapter.

Start reading →

Downloads

Official PDF, EPUB, single-file offline HTML, and the Anki deck — plus an AI decision skill you can drop into Claude Code / Codex.

Get the resources →

Self-check

Answer a few yes/no questions to see which tips you haven’t acted on yet, ranked by return on effort so you know what to do first.

Start the check →

Chapters

1Avoiding Premature DeathThis section covers three things: deaths from accidents and injuries such as road crashes, fires, and poisoning; a few vaccines and screenings backed by the str→2Preventing Chronic DeclineThis section covers just two types of long‑term health risks: those with a big impact on overall mortality and those backed by solid evidence. The items are lis→3Protecting Your Mental EnergyThis section is all about energy and time. We look at four main factors: how much attention you can actually use each day, how quick your reactions are, how oft→4Stopping Time WastersThis section is all about time. We look at how many hours you can save each day, week, or year, and how much the odds improve of finishing a task on schedule. W→5Cutting Financial WasteThis section is purely about money: how much you can save, how much your yearly returns differ, and what amount you can expect to get back over the long run. No→6The Anti-ChecklistThis section lists products and treatments that *seem* inexpensive and effective at first glance. Yet once you look at the original research, their benefits are→7Surviving BrokeThis section covers money and social safeguards. It lists how much you might receive, what costs could be waived, which services may be available, and what elig→8Staying Out of TroubleThis section deals with money and personal freedom rather than life expectancy. It covers three main points: what legal responsibilities you must fulfill, how m→9Everyday Legal TrapsThis section looks at two key aspects: personal freedom and money. Many everyday actions that people assume are harmless can actually lead to detention, fines, →10The Economics of Dating and MarriageThis section breaks down the question “Is marriage a good financial decision?” into several separate calculations. These calculations cover money, time, health,→11Legal Boundaries for DevelopersThis section focuses on personal freedom and financial safety — essentially, avoiding imprisonment and costly lawsuits. Many developers and technical workers te→12Starting and Running a BusinessThis section deals with money and legal liability. What steps could potentially put your own savings, your family’s money, and even your spouse’s funds at risk →13Handling EmergenciesThis section covers just one thing: what actions you should take right away when an emergency occurs, what to do next, and what to avoid. The entries on first a→14Digital Security and PrivacyBacklink: [← Return to main index](../../README.md)→15Renting and Buying a HomeRenting can easily cost you extra due to security deposits and realtor fees. Buying a home, on the other hand, brings high expenses in the form of mortgage inte→16Managing Chronic IllnessThis section looks at overall mortality rates and the associated costs. A chronic disease diagnosis is not the end of the story — what truly matters is how to m→17Caring for Aging ParentsHaving elderly relatives living with you often means that the main problems aren’t a lack of money, but failing to discuss matters clearly and sign the necessar→18The True Cost of Raising KidsThis section breaks down the financial and time costs involved. Much like Section 10, which examined the costs of marriage, we’re simply laying out the numbers →19Workplace Rights and InjuriesThis section is all about money — how it’s calculated, what paperwork you must sign, and what deadlines apply. The first three items cover payments you’re entit→20Newborn Survival GuideThis section focuses on two main topics: what it takes to keep a newborn alive and how much it will cost you. Only differences that are substantial and backed b→21International Travel SafetyThis section deals with both financial matters and personal freedom, and several points also relate to physical safety. Once you’re overseas, it’s the laws of t→22Science-Backed RelaxationThis section is divided into two parts. The first part covers entertainment venues — it explains which costs are unnecessary and where the emergency exits are l→23High-Leverage Skills to LearnThis section deals with money and time. The second item also looks at mortality rates. The first six items address one main question: should you keep studying? →24Navigating HealthcareThis section focuses on the practical steps involved in getting medical treatment — which hospitals to visit first, how to transfer between levels of care, and →25Handling End-of-Life AffairsWhen someone dies, there are a few key steps to take: handling the necessary paperwork and dealing with any money matters. First, you’ll need to secure the scen→26Building a Compliant PlatformIf you want to create a website or app, this section explains four key points: what legal category your business falls under, which permits you must obtain, whe→27Pregnancy and ChildbirthThis section first looks at mortality risks — both for the mother and the unborn baby. Later on, we discuss costs and the time required for various procedures. →28Appearance vs. HealthThis section covers several methods people use to alter their appearance: fasting, taking pills, getting injections, and undergoing surgery. They all share one →29Recovering from Major Life BlowsLosing a loved one, receiving a serious diagnosis, losing a job, or going through a divorce — these events share one thing in common: they affect not only a per→30Raising School-Age KidsSection 20 covered the first year of a child’s life. Section 18 discussed how much money and time raising a child requires. The period from ages 3 to 18 was pre→31Life Paths After EighteenThis section deals with money and time, while the option of avoiding military service also affects personal freedom. It serves as a roadmap of possible paths, n→32Studying Abroad PragmaticallyThis section looks at both the financial costs and personal freedom involved. It does not debate whether studying abroad is a good idea, nor does it compare sch→33Navigating Life with DisabilityThis section covers life after a disability has already occurred. Preventing disability is discussed in Sections 1 and 13, so we won’t repeat that here.→34Safe Home MedicationFever reducers, painkillers, cold remedies, stomach meds, and anti-diarrheal drugs — many of these can be bought without a prescription at any pharmacy. Just be→

About How to Live Better

What is How to Live Better?

How to Live Better is an open-source life guide built on evidence-based medicine and rational decision models. Its core idea: spend the smallest marginal cost to get the biggest return in life — longer life, better health, protected assets, and avoided legal risk.

After going open-source on GitHub it quickly reached 68.5k stars. Not just because it is thorough, but because it drops the preachy tone of traditional popular science and instead uses a scientific method that quantifies cost, estimates benefit, and grades evidence — giving ordinary people a checkable, verifiable system for avoiding life’s traps.

What does it cover?

The book is split into 34 themed chapters with 765 specific, actionable tips, covering the key moments of a lifecycle.

On health, it details how sleep, diet, and exercise prevent chronic disease, and the right first aid when accidents happen. On money and law, it shows how to spot common scams, avoid needless spending, and dodge legal disputes cheaply. On life skills, it covers reading a check-up report and choosing the right insurance. Every tip isn’t a blunt "you should" — it clearly states what it costs, what it returns, and how strong the evidence is.

How do I use it?

You can use it however you like. To read it through, use "Read online" and go chapter by chapter. To keep it handy, grab the official PDF or EPUB from "Downloads", or the offline single-file version that needs no network.

To turn it into a habit, the book ships an Anki deck for spare moments. For developers or AI users, there’s a decision skill you can plug into Claude Code / Codex. If you’d rather not read the whole thing, just run the "Self-check": answer a few yes/no questions and the system ranks your action priorities by return on effort.

License?

How to Live Better is released under CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International). That means anyone may share, copy, redistribute, and adapt it — even commercially — as long as they give appropriate credit and link to the license.

This keeps good knowledge free to spread and remix across platforms. If it helped you, leave a star on the original GitHub repo.

How accurate is it?

Accuracy is the foundation. The author restricted sourcing to peer-reviewed papers and official policy documents — no secondhand processing from influencers or marketing accounts.

To help you judge, every tip is graded: A is the hardest evidence (randomized trials or large datasets — 495 tips), B is cohort studies or mid-quality evidence (220 tips), C is more experiential expert consensus (52 tips). One caveat: this guide is popular science and decision aid, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or a lawyer’s advice.

Content may be outdated or wrong. For real-life situations, medical care, or legal matters, follow your local authorities, doctors, and lawyers.

Why "high leverage"?

"High leverage" doesn’t mean cheap for its own sake — it means efficiency in how you spend resources. Modern life’s problem is rarely too little information; it’s choice paralysis from too much. This book puts cost (time, money, willpower) and benefit (healthy lifespan, protected assets) in one frame, so you can drop the "huge cost, tiny payoff" pseudo-needs and focus on the "low cost, high leverage" traps to avoid.

That pragmatic framing turns complex medicine and law into everyday strategies any family can run.

Who is it for?

It's for anyone who wants a better life and fewer common risks. For young adults fresh out from under their parents' wing, it's a "survival manual" against a harsh world. For the family's main earner, it's a firewall protecting everyone's health and assets. For older adults, it's a level head against health scams and financial traps.

Wherever you are in life, among the 765 tips you’ll find the small changes that compound over time.

How is it different from ordinary popular science?

Ordinary popular science is traffic-driven — it sells anxiety or overhypes one thing. How to Live Better is a calm, list-style guide.

It doesn’t preach extreme restraint or chase wellness fads; it lets the evidence grade speak. Crucially, it tells you not just "what" but "how" — the concrete cost and benefit math of each tip. It’s an objective reference you can check against anytime.