The four tendencies
by Gretchen Rubin · first published 2017
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Offers a practical framework for understanding what motivates you, especially whether external accountability or inner drive works best. Suggested for anyone struggling to finish personal projects or frame goals.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In this groundbreaking analysis of personality type, bestselling author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin reveals the one simple question that will transform what you do at home, at work, and in life. During her multibook investigation into understand human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavi
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…action. > I have strongly come to perceive myself as being driven by external accountabilities which makes me good at work at office but bad at executing personal projects. I'd also recommend reading The Four Tendencies by Gretchin Rubin, which is an interesting framework for how different people respond to both internal and external expectations. Based on your own personal observation, you'd fall into the most populous…
on “Ask HN: How do you stay disciplined in the long run?” ↗Maybe he could find out if a less extreme version of your idea works for him. People are motivated by different things. I like Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies as a key to unlock what motivates you. Some people are motivated by being told what to do; Some are highly demotivated by that. If you frame your goal in a way that works with your Tendency, you'll have…
on “Ask HN: I would pay 100$/Mo if you can solve this problem” ↗Read the Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. It speaks specifically to this, and basically says if you are motivated by external forces, that's how you're wired and you should capitalize on it... it is a waste of time to try…
on “Ask HN: How do you develop internal motivation?” ↗Check out "The Four Tendencies" by Gretchen Rubin. It describes almost this exact scenario and provides tools that may help you overcome it.
on “Ask HN: How do I deal with not being able to build products” ↗…along with some thoughts around what leaders can do to combat some of the pitfalls. I decided to combine my viewpoints with three of my favourite books: Give and Take, Algorithms to Live By, and the Four Tendencies. I’m interested to hear what other remote workers think. Does remote work influence the give/take balance? Do we need to be more intentional about how we’re designing remote systems? Do you think we…
on “Managing Remote Teams: A Psychological Perspective” ↗…read a whole host of books that are related and have been influential. Off the top of my head (on top of HSP): The Big Leap The Sedona Method The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership Hold Me Tight The Four Tendencies
on “I built an app to fix my depression” ↗…about services like Beeminder and StickK, but I never actually fully tried one (where you commit with real money). That changed recently when I discovered a framework for classifying people called The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. Folks like us mostly fall into the category of "Obligers", people who meet outer expectations, but struggle to meet expectations they impose on themselves. And one way to beat that…
on “Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?” ↗Thanks for the awesome Beeminder plug! Anxious to hear if it continues to work for months and years. There's a great discussion of Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies in the Beeminder forum: http://forum.beeminder.com/t/which-habit-tendency-are-you/16... (Apparently I too am an Obliger.)
on “Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?” ↗My girlfriend tried one of these recently. It mapped to her "Obliger" personality, per The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. Me..? I'm a Questioner. But I'm happy for her to find whatever makes her self-employment day-to-day life more manageable and uplifting.
on “I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive” ↗You predicament reminds me of The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. The tendencies are based around whether you respond or don't respond to expectations, and whether the expectations are internal or external. From how you've described yourself, you…
on “Ask HN: How do you develop internal motivation?” ↗