I found out if all of your sticks are the same length, you can switch the speed of 2 different sticks and keep the same pattern, like 1,2,3,4,5 is the same as 3,5,1,2,4. Thumbs up so other people can see this and test this themselves!
Oh, also: Take into account what your maximum person limit is when trying to balance the spawning with the dying. Otherwise you'll set your life too low and people won't spawn in fast enough to keep the population at the maximum.
I love this game! If you want a tip: Life gets pretty useless after a certain extent. When you're at the point where all your new buildings are top-level ones, balance your housing and life so people are spawned about as often as they die. That way you're getting a constant flow of souls in. If, however, you want to get a ton of souls and don't care when you get them as long as you eventually do, or don't feel like having to babysit the game, set your life so your people last a lot longer. You'll have more of a wait compared to the other method, but you'll get more soul in the long run and you only have to check the game every once in a while. Your choice, I guess: Instant gratification vs. higher profit.