veLISTA mechanism looks complicated, but when broken down, it’s just a few mathematical logics. Mastering these can help you make smarter locking decisions.

**Question 1: How long should I lock to maximize voting power?**

The formula is quite straightforward—your veLISTA = amount of LISTA locked × (lock duration / maximum lock period).

The specific numbers become clearer. For example, locking 100 LISTA for the maximum 52 weeks results in 100 × (52/52) = 100 veLISTA. But what if you lock for only 26 weeks? That’s 100 × (26/52) = 50 veLISTA. Want the same weight with a shorter lock? You need to put in more tokens. In simple terms, time is your capital efficiency.

**Question 2: Can the returns really be stable?**

Your weekly earnings ≈ (your veLISTA / total veLISTA in the network) × current distributable reward pool. It sounds reasonable, but there’s a catch—the total veLISTA in the network is floating. If a large holder suddenly locks a big amount long-term, the total surges, and your share gets diluted. Unless you also increase your lock amount, your proportion of earnings will be diluted. That’s the game. Long-term locking sacrifices liquidity but can lock in a relatively higher reward weight early on. When new users flood in later, it can also help resist some dilution.

**Question 3: Will voting power last forever?**

No. veLISTA is like an hourglass—once the lock end date approaches, your voting weight linearly decreases. For example, if you lock 100 veLISTA for 52 weeks, by week 26, your voting power is only half of the initial 50 veLISTA. The system uses this decay mechanism to encourage renewal or to make users accept the reality of decreasing influence.

**Practical tip: Don’t lock all at once**

Instead of locking all your tokens at once, try a step-by-step strategy—lock in batches with different durations. This way, you can retain some liquidity while balancing the curve of reward and weight changes. The decay of weight is no longer a cliff drop but a relatively smooth slope, allowing you to better adapt to market changes.