2026-01-09 08:26:55

A century ago, John Patterson ran one of Dayton's most innovative businesses. He wasn't directly in crypto, but his playbook reads like an early blueprint for what Web3 founders obsess over today.

His core philosophy? Focus on what actually moves the needle:

First, stay useful—solve real problems, not imaginary ones. Systems thinking comes next; understand how pieces connect rather than optimizing in isolation. Then manage your energy ruthlessly: sleep and nutrition aren't luxuries, they're operational essentials. He grasped this decades before biohackers made it trendy.

Beyond the personal hygiene stuff, Patterson emphasized psychology and persuasion—understanding incentives and human behavior. He believed entrepreneurs should get politically involved, not to virtue-signal but to shape the rules of the game. And finally, he made bold contrarian calls; unusual predictions often outperform consensus thinking.

The underlying thread? Think systematically, take care of your fundamentals, understand people, and don't chase every shiny opportunity. Pretty timeless for anyone building in crypto or anywhere else.

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LiquidationTherapist

· 7h ago

Actually, this guy is an early system thinker, much more pragmatic than most Web3 people now. --- Sleep and nutrition should be considered operational essentials... that’s true biohacking, not those flashy things. --- Don't chase shiny objects—this really hit home. How many people are chasing the next moon while ignoring the fundamentals? --- The part about political participation is interesting. You really need to understand the rules of the game to play and win. --- Honestly, Patterson’s logic is clearer than many founders today. Less noise, more thinking. --- The key is still that phrase: think systematically. It’s more valuable than anything else, but everyone is still gambling.

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gaslight_gasfeez

· 01-11 09:22

Honestly, what the old guys understood 100 years ago is still being repeatedly recycled in the Web3 community. Sleep and nutrition are operational essentials—this is truly brilliant. Unfortunately, most founders are still staying up late aping shitcoins.

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ChainSpy

· 01-10 17:27

This guy is talking about fundamental skills. Sleep and nutrition, which are often packaged as bio-optimization, are common sense before being marketed. --- So ultimately, don’t chase after trending topics blindly; focus on solid fundamentals... Web3 is no exception to this rule. --- Understanding human nature and incentive mechanisms is the real secret to making money, more effective than any technical indicator. --- The ideas from a hundred years ago are still applicable today, indicating that many people are still repeating the same mistakes. --- This kind of clear-headedness is what the blockchain community most lacks. Every day, someone is still chasing the next thousandfold coin. --- Systematic thinking > isolated optimization. It’s simple, but most people do the opposite. --- It’s really hard not to chase hot topics, especially when everyone in this circle seems to be making money. --- There’s some truth to that, but Web3 still needs a bit of gambling spirit. Pure rationality can cause you to miss opportunities.

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DegenDreamer

· 01-09 08:57

Honestly, the old guys from 100 years ago could see through this logic, much more reliable than a bunch of self-proclaimed biohackers nowadays. --- Systematic thinking has indeed been overhyped, but Patterson's line "don't optimize isolated parts" hit the nail on the head. --- I'm actually interested in hearing about political participation—how to participate properly without it just being virtue signaling... --- Sleep and nutrition are operational essentials; this statement would beat 90% of crypto founders by a mile. --- Compared to now's Web3, really, how many people are chasing shiny opportunities instead of solving actual problems? --- Reverse thinking earns more than following the consensus; this isn't new theory... but knowing and doing are two different things. --- Every era has its Patterson, it's just that most people can't see him.

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GhostChainLoyalist

· 01-09 08:49

The truth is, those who don't chase trending topics are the ones who actually profit. Currently, most founders using Patterson's approach are just shouting slogans and few can truly follow through.

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GateUser-bd883c58

· 01-09 08:40

Honestly, management wisdom from a hundred years ago still gets you hit today, because most builders simply can't do it... --- This guy's system thinking is much clearer than some founders who have raised tens of millions in funding nowadays. --- Sleep and nutrition as operational essentials—how many people in the Web3 circle really care? They're all staying up late watching the markets... --- Understanding incentive mechanisms and human nature is indeed a severely underestimated competitive advantage. --- Contrarian calls can make money, but contrarian wrongs also lead to losses—what about the risk? --- It seems that current founders are actually more easily influenced by new concepts, and they might have forgotten these basic skills. --- It's easy to say not to chase shiny opportunities, but in crypto, those who don't chase are the ones who miss out. --- Web3 still has a lot to learn about political intervention to change the game rules...

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TopBuyerBottomSeller

· 01-09 08:37

Damn, this guy has been doing systems thinking for a hundred years? About time he got recognized by the crypto industry --- When it comes to sleep nutrition, I really just now realize that it's not about being pretentious but about competitiveness --- Interestingly, a hundred years ago, people understood not to chase the hot trends, but now everyone in Web3 seems crazy about them --- Understanding human nature and incentive mechanisms is so core; not many founders truly get this --- That part about political participation made me think... indeed, we need to change the rules rather than be trapped by them --- Systematic thinking vs. local optimization; you can see the difference during a bear market --- To put it nicely, don’t just act, focus on doing things steadily—it's actually more profitable, but who would believe that? --- If you put this set of ideas into today’s Web3, 99% of people would be playing against it --- I agree with the contrarian call here, but execution is tough, everyone --- It's not unique to crypto; it's basically basic common sense in doing things

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SandwichTrader

· 01-09 08:30

That's right, the problem is that most people can't even do the basics well, and they are always thinking about the next hundredfold coin. --- This set of theories was effective 100 years ago, and it still is today, but no one really executes them. --- I have a deep feeling about sleep and nutrition; staying up late to code really is a IQ tax. --- Haha, "Don't chase shiny things," this kind of advice is like preaching to the choir in the crypto world. --- The core of systems thinking is, otherwise, just single-point optimization, which ultimately leads to a total collapse. --- I somewhat disagree with the political participation part; entrepreneurs getting involved in politics can easily backfire. --- It's really just about not wasting energy and focusing on doing one thing well, but everyone wants to do ten things. --- Thinking of those crypto big shots who call themselves biological hackers, they are indeed more particular about sleep management than ordinary people. --- "Understanding the incentive mechanism" is absolutely crucial in tokenomics design.

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