The Four Tendencies - Gretchen Rubin

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"During her multibook investigation into understanding 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 behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively.

More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change.

The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought...

· People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself.
· How can I help someone to follow good advice?
· People say I ask too many questions.
· How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask or who keeps telling me what to do?

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you."

I was introduced to this book and the concept of the "four tendencies" in a training about bullet journaling and productivity, and although I am not usually a non-fiction person, I was intrigued. The tendencies focus on why we do or don't act, and delving into each tendency to identify what keeps them motivated, what doesn't, and how to adapt based on individual tendencies was really intriguing. Knowing how people you interact with on the daily are motivated and respond to expectations can be eye-opening, and it's incredibly helpful to get a clearer understanding of how to better work together and keep each other motivated. I highly recommend checking out this book or, at the very least, taking Gretchen Rubin's quiz at https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com/. For anyone curious, I am an obliger (with some upholder tendencies), and that surprises me not at all. Which tendency are you? Is it what you expected, or did it surprise you?