The 10-10-10 decision check
Stuck on a choice? Ask how you'll feel about it in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years.
In short
A fast decision tool from Suzy Welch for cutting through short-term feelings. Three timeframes, one clearer choice.
A lot of self-sabotage is a short-term feeling beating your long-term interest. The biscuit now versus the health later. The comfort of not sending the email now versus the opportunity later. 10-10-10, a tool from Suzy Welch, drags the long term back into the room so the decision gets made with more than just this minute's mood.
When you're stuck, ask three questions about the option in front of you:
- How will I feel about this in 10 minutes?
- How will I feel about it in 10 months?
- How will I feel about it in 10 years?
That's it. The value is in the contrast. Skipping the workout feels great in 10 minutes, neutral in 10 months, and like a small brick missing from a wall in 10 years. Having the awkward conversation feels awful in 10 minutes, better in 10 months, and possibly like a turning point in 10 years.
How to use it well
Say the answers out loud or write them. Kept in your head, the 10-minute feeling shouts and drowns the rest. On paper, all three get an equal hearing.
Watch for the pattern where the 10-minute answer points one way and the two longer answers point the other. That's the fingerprint of a decision your present self is about to sabotage, and it's usually a sign to go with the long view.
It won't make every choice for you, and it shouldn't. Some decisions genuinely turn on how you'll feel in the next ten minutes. For the recurring ones where you keep trading your future for a hit of comfort, though, three quick questions are often enough to break the spell.