Four Types of Motivation and Their Effect on Your Habits
To form a new habit, it’s helpful to know what makes you work, in particular, what makes you do the right thing. Author Gretchen Rubin says that most people fall into one of four types of motivation. Knowing your own is the key to developing new habits.
To determine your type of motivation, consider how you respond to deadlines and expectations. Rubin explains:
In the process of researching and writing Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Daily Lives, I realized that we are all very different in our attitudes towards habits and our tendency to form them. From my observations, I began to realize that almost everyone falls into one of four distinct groups: Supporters, Interrogators, Officials, and Rebels .
Supporters are expectation-driven and feel an inner commitment to meeting deadlines. Those who ask the questions are reason motivated and must fully understand expectations and feel that they are justified. People like debtors; they will do something for everyone, but not for themselves. Rebels resist expectations and work to achieve their goals, guided by their own principles.
Basically, your group is based on how you respond to expectations. After all, this is a new habit: a new expectation that we make for ourselves. Once you understand how you react, you can work with your own addictions and find the best way to break the habit.
Most people have a general idea of what category describes them. If you don’t, Rubin’s quiz below may help you figure it out. He also offers tips on what you can do to form a habit, depending on your type.
For example, I had a premonition that I was Obliger, and the test confirmed this. This gave more information on how I work, as well as some simple tips:
For Debtors, the key to building habits is to create external accountability.
So if I want to do more sports, it can help me find a running partner. Knowing that someone expects me to meet with them every week appeals to my type of motivation. I feel obligated to schedule a run, so I will do more sports.
Rubin has additional information on each category worth checking out. Take the test and then read the full text at the other link below.
The Gretchen Rubin Quiz: Four Trends | Gizmo Review via HBR