Taking a trip on a mental time machine

The last Friday of November has dawned on us, all-of-a-skielik! I seriously have no idea how it happened...

Black Friday has become a massive highlight for many this time of year. Probably half of the emails I've received over the last two weeks have promoted some or other massive savings (I do need some new running socks, after all). These messages are enticing us to make decisions now, for a limited time only, that might have a lasting impact on our credit card balances for a while to come.

For various reasons, I've been thinking about the impact of decisions over the last while. Then Shinell shared a newsletter with me on Monday that spoke about the 10-10-10 Rule created by Suzy Welch, which goes like this:

• 10 Minutes: How will you feel about this decision in 10 minutes?
• 10 Months: How will you feel about this decision in 10 months?
• 10 Years: How will you feel about this decision in 10 years?

This "rule" provides a simple, mental time travel framework to examine the possible impact of our decisions and actions. Especially this time of year when most of us are tired and more likely to think "Ah screw it!" None of us can predict the future, but we all have notions of what constitutes better or worse decisions. James Clear puts it really well: The price we pay for healthy habits and good decisions are paid in the present, while the benefit happens later (like saving for a rainy day). But the reverse is also true when we make short-sighted, impulsive decisions - it might be fun now, but we will pay the price in the future (like me eating the 3rd bowl of malva pudding!).

So, if you are inclined to, try the framework as we travel into the festive season. Ten minutes, months, and years from now, am I still likely to feel good about this decision?