10-10-10: 10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years: A Life Transforming Idea by Suzy Welch

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Stars: *****

Summary: As a transformative new approach to decision-making, 10-10-10 is a tool for reclaiming your life. The process is clear, straightforward, and transparent. All it takes to begin are three simple questions: When faced with a complex dilemma, stop and ask, “What will the consequences of my options be in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years?” Yet the outcomes are illuminating, and seldom predictable. Read More

I was lucky enough to be able to read this book thanks to MotherTalk.

I was interested in this book because I have such a hard time making decisions which is what this book is all about. Suzy stumbled onto a great way to help you make your decisions and weigh carefully what the best route is. She explains that 10-10-10 doesn’t necessarily always refer to 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years.

“The first 10 basically stands for “right now” – as in, one minute, one hour, or one week. The second 10 represents that point in the foreseeable future when the initial reaction to your decision has passed but its consequences continue to play out in ways you can reasonably predict. And the third 10 stands for a time in a future that is so far off that its particulars are entirely vague. So, really, 10-10-10 could just as well be referring to 9 days, fifteen months and twenty years or two hours, six months and eight years.”

– pg 11

The basic idea is to think about what would happen in those time periods if you went with option A or B. This will help you see that although your daughter might me really mad initially because you missed her piano recital to go on a work conference, in the long run, that conference will almost completely ensure a promotion which will in turn be better for the family. Also that she will have forgotten that you missed on piano recital 10 years down the road. (This is just an example I made up, but there are many examples like this in the book.)

It seems like such a simple idea, at first I wasn’t sure why a whole book was needed to explain it. But as I read example after example of REAL people using the system, I began to see that it indeed works for ANY decision that needs to be made, with the exception of simple ones like; Should I have peanut butter or jam on my toast?

A lot of self-help books, I read and it all sounds good and I do what it says for a few weeks or even a few months and then stop. This one I truly believe I will use and continue to use. Only time will tell of course but it’s not a procedure that requires lots of time and I don’t need to set up any special props to use.

Your gut ISN’T always right – but use 10-10-10 and your decision will be the right ones.

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About Kathleen

I've been a nonfiction lover for as long as I can remember. I love children's nonfiction as well and love to share my knowledge and the books I gained them from, with the world. I wish more people would give nonfiction a chance.