How To Use The 10-10-10 Rule To Make Great Decisions

Do you have a hard time making decisions? Yes, me too, until I came across the 10-10-10 rule, a simple decision-making process to help you make decisions of all sizes – including those harder life decisions.

A good friend, mentioned this method one day and I had no idea what she was talking about.

So, I did some investigating and found out just how powerful the 10-10-10 method is to help with decision-making.

In life, making decisions whether in business, health or relationships can have consequences in the short, medium, and long term.

However, factors such as stress and uncontrolled emotions can influence a difficult decision-making process, something that may end up leading you down the wrong path.

Fortunately, there are different psychological tricks you can use to face decision-making in the best possible way, with common sense.

One of those tricks is the 10 10 10 rule and today, you’ll learn how to apply it to make better decisions in your life.

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What is the 10-10-10 rule?

The 10-10-10 rule or the 10-10-10 method is basically a mental tactic you can use to prevent emotions from taking control of you when making important decisions.

This tactic helps you establish a barrier against emotions, helping you to think clearly and rationally.

Being able to maintain an independent awareness of the problem allows you to think not only about the immediate effect of a possible solution but also about the consequences in the medium and long term.

Suzy Welch, TV commentator, business journalist, and public speaker created the 10 10 10 rule. She goes into great detail in her book, 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea.

Suzy explains her easy-to-apply method to help people make decisions in a simple and clear way, giving numerous examples based on her own life experience.

Breaking down the 10-10-10 rule

Starting from a premise as simple as asking yourself just three questions, a large number of ordinary people, professionals, and great entrepreneurs have been able to apply the 10-10-10 rule to different aspects of their lives.

The result: They’re seeing significant improvements in their ability to make the right decisions.

In the words of Daniel Goleman, author of the famous book “Emotional Intelligence“:

“If you’re wondering what to do, which path to follow at the fork, whether to stay or leave — no matter what it may be — “10-10-10″ will help you find your way.”

The 10 10 10 Rule works as follows…

1. Identify the problem

What aspect of your life is the problem related to, money, health or relationships?

Ask yourself how serious the situation is and if it requires your immediate attention or you can take some time before thinking about it.

Usually, problems present two paths to take: Go or not go? Do this or do that?

For example, staying overtime at your job or attending a family gathering?

For the problem at hand, think of one of the two paths – working overtime – and then:

2. Ask yourself how you will feel about that decision in 10 minutes?

Analyze what the short-term consequences of taking that path would be.

Maybe you feel bad about not attending that family gathering.

However, working overtime would help you finish some pending project or make extra money that you might need in the short term.

3. Ask yourself how you will feel about that decision in 10 months?

Continuing with the previous example, analyze if those extra hours at your job could mean a future promotion in the company.

Also, think about whether there is the possibility of organizing a family gathering during a future holiday.

4. Ask yourself how you will feel about that decision in 10 years?

Analyze whether you have long-term professional plans and how short and medium-term decisions might influence your professional situation.

Likewise, on a family level, how might your action in the immediate present affect your long-term family relationship? Positively or negatively?

TIP: The point is to avoid giving power to your impulses or unfounded thoughts and instead rationally analyze the pros and cons of making such a decision. Your answers should perfectly match your individual values since ultimately, the most important factor is that you feel satisfied with the decision you made.

Key benefits of the 10-10-10 rule when it comes to decision making

Although at first glance the 10 10 10 rule seems quite simple and easy to apply, in reality, there are several benefits it brings to the decision-making process.

In the words of Suzy Welch,

“I’ve used 10-10-10 to make some of the most meaningful decisions in my life-my divorce, for one. But the effectiveness of 10-10-10 crept up on me when I started using it on a much smaller scale.”

You can expect to experience the following benefits when using this method…

• It’s easier to find solutions to complex problems

• You avoid making decisions impulsively and emotionally

• You learn to live based on your principles and not based on the opinion or benefit of others

• The method allows you to clarify your priorities for the future

• Reduce stress and anxiety levels by making problem-solving easier

• Help to clarify your preferences about different aspects of your life

• It becomes easier to forward and not get stuck in indecision

• You’ll learn about the importance of thinking in the medium and long term

• You can apply the method for decision-making both for big problems and for day-to-day situations

Some additional examples of using the 10-10-10 method

Example 1:

You are an employee in a company, but you can no longer stand the work schedule and you desperately want to quit, even more so when you’ve seen that your best friend works on online platforms as a freelancer and is doing well.

• Short-term: If you resign, you can set your own work hours and you’ll have more free time. However, you won’t have the security of a monthly salary.

• Medium-term: If you manage to establish a good customer base, you could be making good money. Otherwise, you could be going through a difficult economic situation.

• Long-term: Your business has grown enough and you are now truly independent. However, if you fail to automate the business, you could be caught in a rat race.

In short: the best option could be to plan your possible career as a freelancer well before quitting your current job.

Example 2:

You are in a relationship with a good man and your goal is to get married and have children.

However, your partner is a somewhat insecure man due to past experiences and you don’t know if the relationship could work.

In a few weeks, you are going to take a trip together, and you want to take the first step and tell him that you love him.

• Short-term: You would feel nervous, but in peace for being honest and taking the risk. Otherwise, you’d continue with the doubts.

• Medium-term: You could be enjoying a wonderful relationship. If their answer was NO, you would have peace of mind and might consider not wasting your time anymore.

• Long-term: In this case, the resolution of the dilemma wouldn’t be so important, since you could be together and with a beautiful family or each one would be enjoying a relationship with another person.

In short: The medium-term consequences would be more significant since the most important thing for you is not to waste your time and find a good partner with whom to start a family.

Final thoughts:

I hope this walk-thru of the 10-10-10 rule has helped give you a new tool to make decisions a little easier.

This process really does help in all aspects of life, so I highly recommend you give it a try soon.

Have you tried the 10-10-10 Rule to Help You Make Decisions?

I’d love to know how it’s helped you. Share in the comments below!

More Personal Growth Resources You’ll Enjoy:

• 70 Good Daily Habits To Improve Life
• 11 Ways To Stop Being a Perfectionist
• 20 Ways To Make Life Easier & More Enjoyable
• How To Be Intentional In Life: 15 Tips

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