diff --git a/metropolis/node/core/curator/curator.go b/metropolis/node/core/curator/curator.go
index 9ad88a8..400f08c 100644
--- a/metropolis/node/core/curator/curator.go
+++ b/metropolis/node/core/curator/curator.go
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@
 	// but allows us to explicitly log the used TTL.
 	s.ttl = int(s.config.LeaderTTL.Seconds())
 	if s.ttl <= 0 {
-		s.ttl = 60
+		s.ttl = 10
 	}
 	supervisor.Logger(ctx).Infof("Curator starting on prefix %q with lease TTL of %d seconds...", electionPrefix, s.ttl)