Planning as a Four Tendencies Questioner

I don’t get super amped up about New Year’s Resolutions.

(I prefer when-it-makes-sense resolutions. There’s nothing special about Jan 1.)

I hate a planner that tries to do too much.

(I prefer something with a bit of structure but also flexibility.)

I’ll spend time on planning, but only if it helps me.

(I have no interest in decorating my planner or planning for its own sake.)

Does this sound familiar? If so, you might be a Questioner.

What is a Questioner?

The Questioner personality type comes from Gretchen Rubin’s book The Four Tendencies. The framework Rubin writes about categorizes people by how they respond to inner expectations (expectations you have of yourself) and outer expectations (expectations others have for you).

Upholders tend to meet both inner and outer expectations.

Rebels resist both internal and external expectations.

Obligers meet external expectations but resist internal expectations.

Questioners meet internal expectations but resist external expectations.

What does all this mean exactly? Well, questioners generally like to ask things like “Does this make sense?” They won’t usually do something that’s imposed upon them unless it makes sense to them. 

According to Rubin, questioners are good at keeping resolutions they make to themselves, but tend to set the resolutions when it makes sense to them. So if you like resolutions made on a random day, you may be a questioner! When I saw this, I knew it was me.

How do Questioners react to planning?

Many of my favorite planners (like Sara Hart-Unger of The Shubox and Best Laid Plans) are self-professed Upholders. I have a VERY different planning approach to hers, and I find that difference fascinating. I think a big part of it may be our different personality types. 

My own experience has been that I resist many ideas that are considered conventional wisdom in the planning community. For years, I thought this meant that I just wasn’t a planner. Then I realized that was all wrong. I am a planner. I just need a planning system that makes sense to me. Because I’m a questioner, there is no way I’m using someone else’s system! I need my own. You might feel see the exact same way if you’re a questioner.

Questioners resist New Year’s Resolutions

This is one of Gretchen Rubin’s number one criteria for identifying a questioner. If you are great at keeping goals that you make yourself, but don’t feel any special goal-setting magic on January 1, you might be a Questioner. If you strongly resist goals that are imposed on you by others, you might be a Questioner.

Questioners don’t like planners that try to tell them what to do

In my experience, Questioners don’t like a planner that tries to lay out every. single. thing. I’ve found fault with nearly every planner I’ve tried. This one has space for me to write my daily affirmations and I have no interest. This one wants me to time block my day to the gills. Nope. In the past, I’ve tried SO MANY planners that other people loved. Most of them didn’t work for me. The minute the planner tries to tell me how to plan, I’m done.

Questioners don’t plan if it they don’t see a benefit

You might be a Questioner if you don’t get great joy out of planning for its own sake. As a Questioner myself, I didn’t really embrace planning until I realized that it could benefit me. You may feel the same way. As a Questioner, you really need to see the value from planning before you’ll spend time on doing it. 

Questioners don’t feel guilty for holding unpopular opinions about planning

I have SO MANY unpopular opinions in the planning space. For example, I DESPISE planning my weekends. My weekdays are scheduled out the wazoo so I love nothing more than a freeform weekend. My current planner, The Full Focus planner, actually has pages for the weekend. I can ignore it, though, since each day has its own two-day spread. If the weekend planning thing was too visible, it would drive me crazy. Questioners are totally comfortable with their own opinions, even if they go against the popular opinion. 

Questioners like flexibility

I think Questioners like a need flexibility. Gretchen Rubin says, “[Questioners] wake up and think, ‘What needs to get done today, and why?’” This quote embodies the flexibility with which Questioners approach planning. Questioners naturally prioritize based on what the day holds. Their calculation might be different today than it was yesterday. To accommodate this tendency, Questioners need a system that allows them to decide what they need to accomplish each day as it comes.  

Questioners will not adopt someone else’s planning method 100%

Don’t feel like you need to completely follow a planning system in order to see benefits from planning. Many questioners reject an entire planning approach because there are some pieces they don’t like. I argue that as a Questioner, you should think of planning advice as a buffet. Take what works for you, and leave the rest. 

How can a Questioner approach planning?

Questioners develop their own planning system

Because Questioners crave internal consistency, they will never adopt a system that doesn’t make sense to them. And no one can think up a system that will perfectly make sense to a Questioner. The best thing a Questioner can do is learn about different planning techniques. Then pick and choose what works for you. I mostly use Michael Hyatt’s planning methods because I like the Full Focus Planner. But there are certain pieces I ignore without guilt (like planning my weekends)! I really like and need a system – but that system needs to meet my needs. 

Questioners Shouldn’t Expect Planner Perfection

Questioners usually want to use their time well. They should use the 80/20 principle to evaluate planners and planning systems. If 80% or so of the system works for you, go with it. Ignore the rest. A questioner usually doesn’t want to spend hours poring over planner layouts or designing a custom planner from scratch. That is simply way too much work for the reward! If you’re a Questioner, I highly suggest going with the first system you find that works about 80% for you. You can always revise it over time. 

Use a flexible structure

This aligns with my personality for a few reasons. First, it accommodates my Questioner tendency to always ask what really needs to be done today. Second, it allows me to adjust priorities easily, and without guilt, as things come up throughout the week. My job can change frequently day to day. Just last week, I received a request on Wednesday that would take multiple hours of work and had to be done by Friday. Because I have a flexible planning system, I was able to accommodate that.

Make sure your planning structure has flexibility. As Gretchen Rubin wrote, Questioners tend to wake up each day and ask themselves what is most important on that particular day. A flexible planning framework that allows you to set priorities each day will align best to this particular trait of Questioners. My planner (The Full Focus Planner) allows me to set my daily top three priorities. 

Recognize the benefit of long range planning

Questioners tend to ask what is the next best thing to do, which is great. But I’ve observed that I definitely resist planning ahead because it seems a little too much about outer expectations. I realize this is not necessarily my best trait. Instead of trying to overcome it, though, I try to focus on why it makes sense for me to start planning early. For example, if I can participate in long range planning for a family  visit, I have more input into the dates we choose. I can make more suggestions about location and activities. Tickets and lodging may be cheaper if we reserve in advance. That’s just an example, but when I feel myself resisting outer expectations I REALLY try to switch the focus to my own expectations and desires. That always seems to help lift that Questioner resistance. 

How you can plan when you’re a Questioner

Questioners especially need their planning system to make sense. They’re not going to conform to what their planner, or Instagram planning influencers, tell them they should do. If you’re a Questioner, don’t be afraid to keep what works for you and toss the rest. Don’t try to find a perfect planner – just find one that doesn’t annoy you too much. And most of all, build flexibility into your planning routine. For a Questioner, it’s important to be able to adjust the plan when the situation changes. Questioners can absolutely benefit from planning. If you are a Questioner, just follow these tips to make sure you don’t bail on planning before you have a chance to really see the upside.