Abstract
When you decide in the moment, how you'll feel right now gets too much say. 10/10/10 makes you look at three points in time: ten minutes from now, ten months from now and ten years from now. Seeing them side by side shows when some discomfort now buys you something later, or the other way round.
The numbers aren't meant literally. They just mean now, soon and a long way off. The point is to give your future self a say in the decision.
Method
- 01
Name the decision
Write the choice you're facing in one sentence.
- 02
List the options
Two or three real alternatives. Staying as you are usually counts as one.
- 03
Imagine each point in time
For each option, describe how you'll feel and what will have happened at each of the three horizons.
- 04
Score the feeling
Give each cell a score from 1 (awful) to 5 (very good). Quick and honest beats precise.
- 05
Compare across time
Notice whether the best option changes between horizons, then check the result against what you value.
When to use it
- An emotional decision where your first reaction is very strong.
- You've been putting off a hard conversation that you know you need to have.
- The short-term and long-term costs are very different, like moving cities or changing jobs.
Common pitfalls
- Assuming the ten-year view always wins. Some short-term costs are real and deserve weight.
- Thinking only about your own feelings and forgetting what the choice does to other people.
- Treating the scores as a calculation. They're there to prompt reflection.
Origin and references
Attributed to Suzy Welch (2009).
- Welch, S. (2009). 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea. Scribner.