Decision making 101010

At some point throughout our days, we all occasionally have these amazing moments of clarity. You know the ones; they’re sometimes called “a-ha” moments. At work, it’s cool to see the proverbial light bulb go on above someone’s head when they’ve just come up with the creative idea to solve a client’s problem. Likewise, I always enjoy watching Susan’s face light up when she decides which shoes to pair with her new outfit.

These happenings are so amazing to me, in part, because a-ha moments represent decisiveness, which is something I personally have always wrestled with. I come from a long line of  indecision makers and I think it’s because we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make just the right decision, every single time.

That pressure, in itself, has the potential to stifle our decision-making abilities altogether. And it’s not just my family who calculates their moves so cautiously. Anyone who has ever used the Ben Franklin Decision-Making Model has probably wrestled with similar feelings. (Even if you don’t know what the Ben Franklin Model is, you’ve used it if you’ve ever written a simple list of pros and cons.)

Last year, I came across an article about author and commentator Suzy Welch, who recently published a book on her new10-10-10 Rule. The idea behind this decision-making trick is to ask yourself a series of questions: Will this decision matter in 10 minutes? Does it matter in 10 months? How about in 10 years? And what is the impact of this decision within these timeframes?

It’s an exercise that forces you to slow down and consider the consequences of your actions – both immediate and long term. Clearly, there are very few day-to-day choices with enough gravity to warrant this tactic. The reality is, the other pair of shoes also would have worked with that outfit. Chicken salad on wheat is probably going to be just fine for lunch. And if you cut your hair short, it’ll grow back.

The 10-10-10 Rule does, however, work well for big decisions such as changing jobs, buying a car or house or moving to a new city. It also comes in handy when you’re trying to prioritize what’s truly important in your life. Welch herself came up with 10-10-10 idea during and an-ha realization that her work-life balance wasn’t all that balanced. Watch Suzy Welch on Today.

Chances are, most of our lives are out of whack. I know mine can be way too busy – in part because I spend a lot of time making decisions by saying, “Yes, I can do that”, “Sure, I can help” and “How soon do you need it?” But according to Welch, those yeses should really by maybes until I’ve had a chance to reflect on how they affect me – and my loved ones – in 10, 10 and 10.