Three o'clock in the morning, and the world is an inkblot test. You sit there, staring at the blank canvas, the blinking cursor, the silent scream of unfinished work. Creativity feels like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands—ethereal, elusive, maddening. You’re lost in a labyrinth of your own making, every twist and turn a reminder of the deadlines looming over your head.

Enter Susie Welch, the modern-day Theseus with a ball of string called the 10/10/10 Rule. Think of her as the mental locksmith, breaking open the chains of indecision. Picture this: It's 2009, and Welch is wrestling with a decision that feels like trying to solve a Rubik's cube in the dark. She wonders, "How will I feel about this in ten minutes, ten months, ten years?"

Boom. Just like that, the fog lifts. The future, once a dark alley of unknowns, now lights up like Times Square on New Year's Eve. It’s about perspective, really. The kind that takes you from a claustrophobic present to a panoramic view of your life. Welch’s 10/10/10 isn’t just a rule; it’s a compass for the creatively lost.

The Why

The 10/10/10 Rule is simple: when faced with a decision, consider the impact it will have in ten minutes, ten months, and ten years. It's about perspective. It's about stepping out of the immediate chaos and viewing your choice through the lens of time. This isn’t just a hack; it’s a lifeline for the creatively inclined.

The 10/10/10 Rule isn’t just a method; it’s a mirror, reflecting the true weight of our choices over time. For creatives, it’s the key to unlocking a future where passion triumphs over fear, and every decision fuels the fire of creativity.

The How

So, you've got the theory down, but how do you wield the 10/10/10 Rule in the trenches of your creative battlefield? Here are five actionable steps to integrate this mental model into your decision-making process, transforming uncertainty into clarity and chaos into creativity.

Identify the decision: Grab your metaphorical scalpel and dissect the situation. Write it down. Make it real. "Should I take this freelance project?" or "Do I add another subplot to my novel?" The first step is to clearly define the decision that’s keeping you awake at night.
Project into the future: Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and time-travel. Imagine yourself ten minutes from now, ten months from now, and ten years from now. This isn’t just daydreaming; it’s strategic foresight. Ask yourself, "How will this decision impact me in the immediate future, in the medium term, and in the long haul?"
Consider emotional impact: Emotions are the wild horses of our mind. They can either trample our decisions or guide us to greener pastures. Reflect on how you’ll feel at each time interval. Will the anxiety of an impending deadline dissipate, or will the regret of a missed opportunity haunt you? Understand the emotional landscape of your future selves.
Evaluate practical consequences: This is where rubber meets the road. Assess the tangible outcomes. Will this project boost your portfolio or just burn out your creative spark? Will that subplot enrich your story or bloat it? Consider resources, time, and energy—your most precious commodities.
Make the decision: Armed with insights from your mental voyage, make the call. The 10/10/10 Rule isn’t about perfection; it’s about informed action. Choose the path that aligns with your long-term vision, mitigates short-term pain, and manages medium-term challenges.

Pro-tip: Keep a decision journal. It’s a repository of your thought processes, a map of your mental journeys. By documenting your 10/10/10 reflections, you create a personal playbook. Over time, patterns emerge, and your decision-making becomes sharper, more intuitive.

Embrace the 10/10/10 Rule not as a rigid formula but as a flexible framework. It’s your secret weapon against the paralysis of choice, the fog of uncertainty, and the tyranny of indecision.

Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the best tools, it’s easy to stumble. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for when applying the 10/10/10 Rule, ensuring your decisions remain sharp and your creativity unfettered.

Ignoring emotional bias: Emotions are potent, but they can also be deceptive. Don’t let fear or excitement skew your 10/10/10 analysis. If you focus too much on how you feel right now, you might overlook the long-term benefits or consequences. Balance your emotional insights with practical considerations to avoid impulsive decisions that you’ll regret later.
Overlooking long-term vision: It’s tempting to prioritize immediate comfort or relief, but remember, the 10/10/10 Rule is about the long game. Avoid the trap of short-term thinking. Decisions made purely for instant gratification often backfire in the ten-month or ten-year horizon. Stay anchored to your overarching goals and values.
Analysis paralysis: While the 10/10/10 Rule is a powerful analytical tool, don’t get bogged down in overthinking. Spending too much time weighing every possible outcome can lead to indecision. Set a reasonable time limit for your analysis and then commit. Trust the process and move forward.
Ignoring external factors: Your creative world doesn’t exist in a vacuum. External factors—market trends, audience preferences, technological changes—can significantly impact the outcomes of your decisions. Don’t ignore these realities. Integrate external insights into your 10/10/10 evaluations to ensure your decisions are grounded in the real world.
Being too rigid: The 10/10/10 Rule is a guide, not a gospel. Life is unpredictable, and flexibility is key. Be willing to adjust your decisions as new information comes to light or circumstances change. Adaptability can mean the difference between a stagnant career and a flourishing creative journey.

Avoiding these mistakes ensures that the 10/10/10 Rule remains a robust tool in your creative arsenal, guiding you toward informed, balanced decisions that foster growth and innovation.

Mental Models for Leveraging The 10/10/10 Rule

The 10/10/10 Rule is more than a decision-making tool; it’s a cognitive lever, a way to tilt the world in your favor. To truly harness its power, integrate it with other mental models that enhance and complement its effectiveness. Here are a few key models to supercharge your decision-making process.

First Principles Thinking: Strip down your problem to its fundamental truths. Forget about analogies or past experiences; focus on the core essence. When applying the 10/10/10 Rule, ask yourself: What are the basic components of this decision? By reducing it to its most basic elements, you gain clarity and eliminate noise.
Opportunity Cost: Every choice has a hidden price: the value of the alternatives you forgo. Use the 10/10/10 Rule to weigh not just the direct outcomes but also what you’re giving up. Ask, "If I commit to this project now, what other opportunities am I missing?" Visualize where those opportunities might take you in ten minutes, ten months, and ten years.
Regret Minimization Framework: Inspired by Jeff Bezos, this model asks you to project yourself into the future and look back on your life. When coupled with the 10/10/10 Rule, it becomes a powerful lens. Consider: Will I regret not taking this risk in ten years? Will the discomfort I feel now matter in a decade? This framework helps prioritize actions that align with your deepest values and long-term happiness.
Inversion: Instead of asking what you should do, flip the script. Ask, "What should I avoid to prevent failure?" Applying this to the 10/10/10 Rule, consider the pitfalls and negative outcomes at each time interval. What decision would lead to regret, wasted resources, or lost opportunities? This anti-goal approach clarifies the path by illuminating the dangers.
Systems Thinking: Decisions are rarely isolated; they’re parts of larger systems. Understand the ripple effects of your choices. With the 10/10/10 Rule, map out how a single decision interacts with other aspects of your life or work. Ten minutes from now, does it disrupt your routine? Ten months from now, does it align with your career trajectory? Ten years from now, does it fit into your legacy? This holistic view ensures your decisions are sustainable and integrated.

The 10/10/10 Rule is your blueprint for navigating the murky waters of creative decisions. It's not about finding the perfect path but about making informed, thoughtful choices that align with your long-term vision.