Ask whether it’ll matter in ten years, then ask whether it’ll matter in ten minutes. Both answers are useful.

The long view shrinks a problem and the short view tells you whether it still needs handling now. Used alone, either one misleads. Ten years talks you out of things that matter today, and ten minutes makes a bad morning look like a life. Together they give you proportion and urgency at the same time.

The next time something knocks you sideways, run both questions in that order before you respond. If the answer is no and no, let it go entirely. If it is no and yes, deal with it properly and then let it stay small.