An NYU professor’s simple trick cuts through decision paralysis in seconds

Suzy Welch, a three-time New York Times bestselling author and NYU Stern professor, developed a decision-making framework designed to prevent impulsive choices. It’s called the 10-10-10 rule, and it works by asking just three time-based questions.

Before making a decision, you ask what the consequences will look like in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years. The ten-minute answer captures immediate relief or discomfort, the ten-month answer shows the likely consequences, and the ten-year answer tells you whether the decision genuinely matters in the long run.

Welch says the formula applies to almost every field. A founder can use it to weigh a product pivot, a parent can use it to decide whether to cave on screen time, and someone comparing job offers can use the same three questions to reach more clarity than a pros-and-cons list typically offers.

Though it sounds simple, the framework helps people weigh challenges without getting confused by pressure in the moment. It isn’t meant for genuine emergencies, which don’t wait ten minutes, but for the many decisions that aren’t time-bound, it offers a quick way out of a spiral. Most people, the idea goes, do not lack good judgement, they simply lack the ten seconds it takes to reach it.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by S Sepp