10-10-10 Method: This trick will help you make tough decisions

Are you facing a tricky decision? Or between two to 100 conflicting feelings? Then the 10-10-10 method is exactly what you need now.

We have already noticed one or the other time: Life can be pretty complicated. All the impressions that flow on us every day, the expectations that others have or seem to have of us, the demands with which we put ourselves under pressure … – the list is far from over. To make matters worse, we also have to make constant decisions, some of which are actually quite important. For such cases, the American business journalist and book author Suzy Welch has developed a method that can really help us find the right way: the 10-10-10 method.

This is how the 10-10-10 method works in making decisions

The 10-10-10 method should help us to think about the consequences of a decision and, in the best case, to become clear about them. The essence of the method is to ask yourself:

  • What will be the effects in 10 minutes if I choose A?
  • What effects will it have in 10 months if I choose A?
  • And what effects will it have in 10 years if I choose A?

And then you should do the same for the other option:

  • What effects will it have in 10 minutes if I do NOT choose A?
  • What effects will it have in 10 months if I do NOT choose A?
  • And what effects will it have in 10 years if I do NOT choose A?

Of course, in order to be able to use the method, we first have to find out in our head what problem we are actually facing and what options we have to solve it. It is best to formulate a question that is as clear as possible, e.g. B. "Do I ask my manager to make an appointment to talk to her about what is annoying me and making my work difficult?" Or "Am I going on vacation to the seaside with my girlfriend, although I am currently more interested in one Had a solo adventure in the mountains? ". Using this question, we can play through the two different scenarios and visualize their effects on the medium to long-term future.

Why not just listen to your gut feeling?

Of course, our gut feeling can also be an excellent guide, especially when it comes to very complicated decisions. After all, it consults all of our conscious and unconscious experiences and, based on them, often recommends the right path. But sometimes our feelings lead us to make a decision that makes us happy quickly and for a short time and is the easier one at this moment, but which we would most likely regret in 10 months or five years. And we can prevent that by using the 10-10-10 method.

In addition, our intuition can be quite difficult to understand in emotionally troubled phases. When frustration, anger or sadness rage in us, it is almost impossible to hear what the gut feeling is trying to say exactly. In this respect, the 10-10-10 method is a good support, with which we can also question and classify our feelings: Is my anger just a temporary mood that I should let pass by or that I should distract myself from, or do I have to react and do something to make me feel better?

And if this question concerns you more often, but the 10-10-10 method doesn't really get you any further: Maybe our articles about bad mood or understanding feelings are interesting for you