Last cycle, I did what most people do in crypto. I overcomplicated everything.

I had exit ladders.

I had signal checklists.

I had price targets based on patterns I barely understood.

“I’ll take 20% at 2x, 30% at 4x.”

“I’ll sell the exact top when indicators align.”

None of it worked.

Not because the math was wrong.

Because I never followed the plan.

Most people in crypto work a 9–5. They don’t stare at charts all day. They forget entry prices. They lose track of position sizes. When the market moves fast, emotions take over. Complex plans collapse under pressure.

That realization changed everything for me.

This cycle, I used five simple rules. Nothing fancy. Just clear, repeatable actions. And the result was simple too: my overall net worth roughly doubled compared to where I started the cycle.

Here’s what actually made the difference.

The first shift was embracing boring.

Crypto Twitter loves 100x stories. But most coins don’t survive a full cycle. Many never return to their previous highs. And most underperform Bitcoin over time.

That’s not a hot take. It’s history.

So instead of going all-in on alts, I built a core portfolio designed to stay alive.

About 90% of my capital sat in “boring” assets:

Stablecoins earning yield and qualifying for airdrops.

Bitcoin, which institutions continue to accumulate and which I’m comfortable holding for years.

A few ETFs in sectors like AI, energy, and materials.

The returns were steady, not flashy. Stable deposits earned around 5% APY plus airdrop exposure. Bitcoin averaged around 4x from my $30k entries during the cycle. ETFs delivered between 8% and 15%.

Nothing viral. Just consistent growth.

Meanwhile, most of the altcoins I bought? Many were down 50% or more.

That contrast taught me something important. The “boring” base gave me stability. It reduced stress. It gave me dry powder. It allowed me to trade aggressively with a smaller portion of capital.

Which brings me to rule two: sell 50% of every airdrop.

Airdrops feel like free money. But taxes don’t treat them that way. In many countries, airdrops are taxed as income based on the value at the time you receive them.

Here’s a simple example.

You receive a $10,000 airdrop. You hold it because you believe in the project. The token crashes to near zero. Tax season comes, and you still owe income tax on the original value.

Now you have no profit and a tax bill.

To avoid that situation, I sell half at token generation. Immediately. No debate.

This locks in profit. It covers potential tax exposure. And it removes emotional attachment.

If the token runs, I still have exposure. If it dumps, I’ve already secured gains.

It’s not about predicting price. It’s about protecting capital.

The third rule changed how I trade entirely: chase trends, not coins.

Most traders see a coin explode to $100 million market cap and jump in late. Two weeks later, it’s down 80%.

The mistake isn’t buying a meme. The mistake is buying the one that already ran.

Instead, I treat big runners as signals.

If multiple meme coins are hitting high volume and strong liquidity within weeks, that’s a trend. If AI-themed tokens keep cycling through new leaders, that’s a narrative forming.

There is almost always another runner.

I missed early plays like PENGUIN and WHITEWHALE. But I paid attention to the pattern. That helped me position in later trend coins like RENT and COPPEINU, which delivered strong multiples.

I didn’t chase what already peaked. I waited for the next rotation.

Patience matters more than speed.

Rule four is mechanical: 2x equals sell half.

If an altcoin doubles, I sell 50%. Every time.

No debates. No “maybe this one goes higher.” I take out initial capital and some profit. The rest rides for upside.

This one rule removes pressure. Once your initial investment is out, decisions get easier.

There’s also a softer rule I follow: if I open my portfolio and can’t help but smile, I sell something.

Even 1% or 5%.

That emotional spike is a signal. When everything feels too easy, risk is usually rising. Taking small profits during those moments builds discipline.

It’s simple. It works.

The final rule has nothing to do with charts.

Once a quarter, I check one number. My total net worth.

Savings account.

Crypto portfolio.

Retirement account.

Brokerage.

Checking account.

Five rows in a basic spreadsheet. That’s it.

I look at percentage growth since last quarter and ask simple questions.

Was this growth normal?

Was it unusually high?

What helped?

What hurt?

This keeps me focused on the big picture. Not daily volatility. Not social media noise.

It also forces action. Idle capital gets deployed. Weak positions get trimmed. Risk gets adjusted.

Last cycle, I chased complexity and lost almost everything in a major collapse. This cycle, I focused on simplicity and discipline.

No magic indicators.

No perfect tops.

No prediction models.

Just boring core assets.

Structured profit-taking.

Trend awareness.

Quarterly reflection.

Crypto rewards execution more than intelligence.

A simple plan you actually follow will beat a complex one you abandon under pressure.

If you work full time, if you can’t watch charts all day, if you’ve felt that mix of greed and regret before, simplify.

You don’t need more signals.

You need rules you can follow.

NOTHING IN THIS ARTICLE IS FINANCIAL ADVICE.