I do notice the irony of this being the ninth book on my currently reading list!

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After reading just the intro and first chapter, you have no idea how many times I’ve found myself nodding excitedly going, “That is SO me!”. Stopping myself from racing through is tough – could this explain… well, half my life?!

I didn’t really find the “you’re a scanner and it’s ok” talk very helpful. My Reward is finding out how something is done and if I can do it – usually, as soon as I know that I’m capable of doing something, I lose interest. That leads to very few finished projects and when I do finish them, it’s through ‘blood, sweat and tears’. The book tells me to accept this, to accept that I won’t finish many projects (or that I’ll do a “Scanner’s Finish”), but I can’t! I want to have something to show for my interests, to be good at all those things, it’s just so bloody hard to follow through and actually do things that I know I can do.
Meh. Maybe it’s just my current state of mind and I’d feel better about this if I’d read it at some other time.

OTOH, at least it gave me a name for my life strategy (having a “Good Enough Job”) and told me it’s ok not to find a perfect job. :)

_{PS. For further reference, I’m probably a “Sybil”-type, with some “Jack-of-all-trades” sprinkled on top.}

I don’t usually read self-help style books. I was browsing in the library one day, going about it in a thorough way, and the title Refuse to Choose jumped out at me. It turned out to be pretty relevant to me – it’s advice for people who have many passions and find it hard to squeeze them all into one lifetime.

I should say first that, to be absolutely honest, most of the useful advice in this books is pretty much common sense…like, just get going, set yourself some deadlines, etc. There were other specific “tools” recommended, such as using a binder for each interest, a 6-year calendar, etc. Some of these I may consider using, others I probably won’t. There are also exercises that some may find useful in unearthing the secrets of their own personality. I suppose some people may find them useful.

The most amazing thing about this book, really, is finding out that there are so many other people out there like you, that Barbara Sher (the author) actually bothered to give them the name “Scanners”. You really feel, when reading this book, that she really, really understands you, because (almost!) everything she says about Scanners – their habits, their desires, their neurotic fears – rings true. I suppose this book could also be ammunition against other people who would stop you from living the life you want.

Other than advice etc., Sher distinguishes several types of Scanners – Double Agents, Sybil, Plate Spinner, Serial Specialist, Serial Master, Jack-of-All-Trades, Wanderer, Sampler. I think I’m several of these but Sybil is probably closest – people who have a huge number of projects they would love to work on, that they obsess about over and over, but find it hard to stick to one and Get It Done. Sher recommends several “Life Design Models” – e.g. the School Day Model, in other words doing your own projects after work and on weekends. Usually she recommends this for 40-hour-or-less workweeks. Sadly, mine is 42.5 hours :-( In the area of careers, she suggests (i) having multiple income streams, or (ii) having a Good-Enough Job (and applying the School Day Model), (iii) operating a home business, (iv) having an umbrella career, e.g. writer or consultant. She suggests specific tools, too:

• Scanner Planner
• Scanner Daybook
• 15-month goal calendar
• Rotating priorities board – I thought this might be useful, a board where you keep track of your progress in each project, which might prod you to get one done if you’re close to the end, or work harder on a project that’s falling behind.
• Set-up
• Avocation station – keeping everything you need to just GO! on a single project in one, easy-to-find place.
• Kitchen timer
• 20-30 binders (to keep notes on your interests)
• Project boxes – similar to the avocation station, keep all the stuff in one place.

Basically Sybils need discipline (I guess I would agree with that) so she suggests using a planner and keeping the clutter down.

So, in summary, a useful book, one that will make you feel good about yourself, though maybe not something that will burst on you with a flash of light and set your life on a charmed path where you can suddenly succeed on every project in the timeline you want.