The rule of 10-10-10: by asking herself three easy--and utterly profound--questions, Suzy Welch has managed to solve just about every personal and professional quandary in her life. An amazing, spectacularly snappy guide to decision-making.(advice, etc.)

Publication: O, The Oprah Magazine

Publication Date: 01-SEP-06

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BACK IN MY 20s, WHEN I WAS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT how to do it all--the perfect mommy/good wife/successful career woman/happy homemaker thing--I happened to be seated next to a kindly older gentleman at a dinner party. In the course of small talk, he mentioned that he came from a family with II children. At the time, I had one toddler and was hanging on by my fingernails.

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"How, how, how," I practically cried, "did your mother do it?"

The man's eyes crinkled up; he'd heard the question before.

"Well, my dear, those were simpler days," he said gently. "After my mother finished the breakfast dishes, she started making lunch."

"Oh, come on!" I wanted to scream, "Give me the magic formula!"

As if he'd heard my thoughts, the man added, "Don't worry. Everything will sort itself out eventually."

How old-fashioned he seemed. How wise he turned out to be.

Which is not to say I've cracked the do-it-all problem at the ripe old age of 46. There is no foolproof way to manage something as untidy as life, and I still have days when I feel as if I am juggling eggs on a roller coaster. But I have--over a decade of tinkering and practice--devised a method, for lack of a better word, to help me balance my multiple life roles and navigate the daily dilemmas of an overstuffed existence.

I call it 10-10-10.

Here's how it works. Every time I find myself in a situation where there appears to be no solution that will make everyone happy, I ask myself three questions:

What are the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes?

In 10 months?

And in 10 years?

The answers usually tell me what I need to know not only to make the most reasoned move but to explain my choice to the family members, friends, or coworkers who will feel its impact.

I'VE...

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