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Image courtesy of suzywelch101010.com.

Do you hate making decisions? Do you find yourself having to make big and small decisions every day—at work and at home? Do you wish there was an easier way to quickly make decisions that were true to your intrinsic value system? If you’re answer to any of these three questions is a resounding “yes” then you must read Suzy Welch’s new book called 10-10-10.

10-10-10 is an easy-to-grasp framework that will help you make a sound decision every time by forcing you to think through the consequences of your decision in the next 10 minutes (right now), 10 months (short-term), and 10 years (long-term).

Start by framing your dilemma as a question: Should I promote a junior member of my team? Should I start a Facebook community for my brand? Should I quit my job?

Then collect all the information you need to make the decision. Either mentally or physically list the impact of each decision in the three time frames. What will happen right now if you decide to quit your job? Does the scenario change in 10 months? And when you think of 10 years, what do the consequences look like? Are there any pieces of information missing? (For example, you may not immediately know how your 401k plan may be impacted by your decision to quit, and that is something you will need to find out from your company.) List any other such information that you don’t have at your fingertips and need to seek out.

Once the information is collected and you have a clear picture of how your decision is going to play out in your life, think long and hard or quickly and easily about a “yes” or “no.” Remember that your decision should be one in which you are the master and not the victim of your choices. To do this, you need to be clear about the values that you live by. In the book, Suzy helps you arrive at your core values by having you answer three questions:

1. What would be your life's regrets at your seventieth birthday party?
2. What would you want people to say about you when you are not in the room?
3. What do you love and hate about your parents' lives? 

I read the book about a month ago and have literally been using 10-10-10 almost every day since then to help me make decisions on a wide range of problems in my professional and personal life. I find that it clarifies my thinking process and also ensures that I am not shooting from the hip every time. Now, every time I face a problem, I like to 10-10-10 it. Thanks Suzy!