How many times has deciding what you need to do come down to a paralyzing choice between equally important tasks?
How are we supposed to decide what we need to do?
I use 10-10-10
There may not be a perfect solution, however, perfection is not the goal. We need to look for the best option with what we know now.
That’s great, but still doesn’t help you make the decision. So, what’s the 10-10-10?
10min – 10mths – 10yrs
10 min: This is how you feel about it right now. It’s often a like or dislike. I want to do this or that. When it’s a want vs a need – it’s easier to decide what time you need for a break and what you need to focus on for long term gain. But what if you have two things that are both important to get done? Look at the next 10…
10 months: What difference will working on ‘this’ or ‘that’ make in a year from now? This time frame is often about earning income, being able to pay bills, finishing a project, being ready to start a project, etc. It’s longer term than this week, and it’s functional. i.e. What will accomplishing this ‘do’? What will happen if I don’t work on this? If you evaluate this and still have a few top priorities, is it possible to schedule a percentage of your time to each task? Ask yourself if working on the less urgent, but still important one is better with a small portion of your time vs none of your time.
In order to compare your tasks to what you want to accomplish in a year, it’s crucial to have those goals defined. You cannot prioritize tasks in your day if you don’t have clear long-term goals to evaluate them against. If you don’t already have goals you want to accomplish, think about what you want to accomplish over the next year. Evaluate your business goals against what you need to do to earn that income, what resources are required, is it reasonable, does it align with you, etc. For personal goals, it doesn’t have to be complex, it might be pay bills and find some time to ‘___fill in what you enjoy’. If that doesn’t help you decide which task to work on, try the next 10.
10 years: How will you feel in ten years about what you work on now? Does this align with who you are and who you want to be? Does it work towards a lifestyle you want to live and does that fit with who you are and who you want to be? Will you be proud of the work – regardless of the success? Is it worth working on based on what you know now and the forecasting you have available? i.e. forecasting is good, fortune telling is not required. Is it helping you reach your goals, and are those goals in alignment with who you are and who you want to be?
You get the idea.
10 second summary: 10min – do I wanna? 10mths – should I? 10yrs – why?
This should help you narrow down the vast majority of your tough decisions. If you get to this point and still have more than one thing at the top of your priority list, you need to decide whether you can split your energy on both and still be successful. You cannot pursue every great option! If you believe you can, then you will get creative on how you will make both succeed and find a way.
How much can you narrow down your choices using the 10-10-10 method?
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