The 10-10-10 Rule: Your Time-Traveling Decision Compass
Have you ever wished you could peek into the future before making a work decision?
While we can't build a time machine, we can do the next best thing - we can use the 10-10-10 Rule to become our own workplace fortune tellers. The 10-10-10 Rule is credited to author Suzy Welch.
What's This Time-Bending Rule About?
The 10-10-10 Rule asks you to teleport mentally to three different points in time when trying to make a decision…
10 minutes: your gut reaction.
10 months: your medium-term reality check.
10 years: your future self's perspective.
Why It Could Be Your New Secret Weapon
We've all sent those heated emails we regretted or jumped at shiny opportunities that lost their sparkle fast. This framework is like having a mentor tapping you on the shoulder, inviting you to look before you leap.
Picture this: Tomorrow is the launch day for your new product. A major vendor just went bankrupt and, without their service, your product won’t work. You’re tempted to find a replacement vendor and skip whatever steps you need to stop the launch from being blocked. The 10-10-10 lenses might look like this…
10 minutes: “Phew, problem solved! Launch achieved.”
10 months: “Why did we agree to give away 20% of all our revenue just to launch on time?”
10 years: “Why didn’t we take extra time to vet their software security? These breaches are killing our brand.”
When To Pull Out This Tool
Break it out when you're dealing with situations that feel like a mix of urgent (short-term) and important (long-term) concerns…
Staring at a job offer, wondering if it's worth making the move.
Considering killing a project that's eating resources.
Thinking about taking a risky but innovative approach with a key client.
Considering an extended sabbatical.
Note that in a personal or professional crisis, this can also be adapted to 10 seconds, 10 minutes, 10 hours. We’ve personally found this helpful in situations where self-care and taking a step back are critical.
Making It Work for You
We’ve seen clients have a lot of fun and success treating the original 10-10-10 Rule like a game.
When facing a big decision, grab a notebook and write three movie scenes: you in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years.
What's playing out in each scene?
How does future-you feel about present-you's choice?
By playing this game well, you can dramatically improve the rate at which you turn snap judgments into strategic moves.
Making Better Decisions
Whilst we think this tip is great for in-the-moment self-coaching, there are a number of deeper models and tools that are very powerful for leadership and team decision-making.
These tools are so fundamental to building a healthy workplace that we rolled them into a specific workshop which is available either standalone or as part of our Core Leadership program. Grab a discovery call to discuss.