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Originally posted by jordan562:
hi ive been experimenting with PR with a variety of reading material. mainly class notes, txtbooks, and magazines. before anything i read now, i preview, PR, and postview. my problem lies in the activation.
How much time do you spend on the preview?
Try this, Other than setting a purpose keep the preview ultra short 60 to 90 seconds. Make your post view about 12 to 18-minutes (not longer).
Learn the system with a non-fiction book of about 200 to 300 pages before looking at class material.
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ive been the type of reader who has done well before in school by reading things as many times as possible. apparently as a kid, i was a 'slow reader' or was 'slower to comprehend' material but i managed to get top grades in school by repetition and equal self-discipline.
Then remember superreading and dipping is also multiple passes. The difference is you're allowed to go faster and do even more layers. If you slow read 3 times allow youself to activate using Superread and dip 6 times or more. Don't put on the brakes saying you should know this within X activation it may be X+1 when the pieces start to build a picture for you.
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when i activate, i turn blank. ideas trickle in at an incredibly slow pace, and they come in very small groups. It takes so many passes with for me to end up finishing the mindmap to a satisfactory amount of detail. its as if i cant retain what i activated through the dip, though i did recognize those important points i needed to know.
Remember your purpose what do you need to know to reach your goal for this book? Write down the mind probing questions you have before you begin activating. If you have difficulty forming question it means you lack a reason (purpose) for activating.
When it comes to drawing your mind map read the question again and see if you can recall the answer. Don't worry if you cannot it just means you didn't build strong enough memory threads this time around. When you want to remember something associate it with something you already know. The written question can help to trigger the answers. Write the question down as you think of it. New question may form while you are Superreading and dipping. If you haven't answered the question you were looking for write the next question with a short phrase and keep going on the original question until you have the answer.
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its a similar type of feeling i get in med school where we have role playing problem-solving situations, where im perceiving zilch of what's happening outside though i want to.
Even here you need to think of a purpose a reason for YOU to play along. By deciding what your purpose mind knows what to draw your conscious attention to.
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i get the most difficult during the mindmap stage. after dipping, i can remember very very few details to add onto my mindmap. ive started to give myself more hints, by physically writing down first letters of words during my dips, and occasionally using them as cribnotes (after i cant get any more from my mindmap)
Mind Mapping- you may choose to Mind Map as you go. Just watch out you don't get carried away with too much detail. Again think of associating the new information with something that you already know. What you link it to doesn't have to relate to the topic. The phrase "shiny red bells" might remind you of the time you saw your uncle in red satin boxer shorts when the fire alarm went off. if that is what comes up in your mind while activating. Remember it. It's a clue that can help you to recall it later.
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a big difficulty is that my notes from lectures are pretty condensed as it is. i write down all the important points, and it seems that there's nothing i can really sift out.
If your notes are in linear form use them to do a detailed mind map. Don't need to condense them further. Just put them into a format that is easier and faster to review.
Mind Maps only take 1 minute or so to review. You'll recognise very quickly any information you've forgotten. Linear notes take a little bit of activation and probably take longer to review for missing information because you're not looking at it and recognising what you remember and what you forgot. You're re-reading it so it's hard to see that you're actually sketchy on the information.
Again. Use all the information from your notes on the mind map. Ultimately the mind map replaces your note so they may as well be as detailed as space will allow.
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im starting to wonder whether its an issue with my memory. before uni, i never even considered that i had a poor memory because i was doing so well academically. though i admit i have found myself in situations where i have no clue about directions even to places i have been 100 times, and cant recall a list of directions just dictated to me. it may even be perhaps related to an aspect of perceptual intelligence. i have no idea really, though ive asked close friends and they said i shouldnt second guess my brain.
Play memory type games. The ABC list method from the Memory Optimizer course is an excellent way to build memory webs. The more memory threads you have the more information you can hook.
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anyways, ive become a little frustrated with how long it takes and how little i get from mindmapping and have completely skipped that out of my reading routine.
Build curiosity rather than frustration. Discover other methods. I Like analograffiti better than Mind Mapping because it gives a stronger starting point than Mind Mapping.
If you use another note making system that has worked for you in the past keep using that. The idea of using Mind Mapping is for people who have not got a working note making habit.
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in the meantime, i periodically switch the memory supercharger tape. i looked at the memory optimizer set, and the price looks pretty steep for a student for me to afford. anyone relate to parts of my experience? ill consider any constructive advice to get me over this psychological hump.
You probably need the Memory Optimizer course less and getting your purpose defined more.
What do you want from the text you read?
How do you see yourself using the information from the text?
Where?
When?
What would you need to know to live that image? Or what knowledge would a person have to live that? (watch out here because this opens the gate to mind probing questions.) Because once you've answered those questions you have a better idea of what you need to know. What you need to know is your purpose for that book... so that you can live / experience the the situation where you would use the informatino.
Alex
