Blue, Some extra pointers from me
Prepare: This is knowing why you are going to read the book. Ever listened to a small child who was told to do something a ..."Why?" reply "Because I said so" and the child says, "Why?" reply "because if you don't do it I'm going to get very angry" Well with that the child half heartedly does what he's been told but now has a dislike for what he has to do because he doesn't know why 'he' has to do it.
That is how the mind works if you give it a good reason to do something it does it with enthusiasm, a vague 'because I have to', equals vague results. So I'm reading this because I have to, because the teacher told me to is too vague because it something someone else told you to do. However, to say I am reading this to get 'my' best passing grade in this course will produce better results because you stated 'your' purpose and what 'you' expect from 'yourself'.
You need to be able to say I want to know what the author has to say about subject of the book and feel excited/curious or at least interested about it.
You said
quote:
Seems to me like this first step is mostly motivational, like turning off the criticism and opening up to possibilites, right? Or is there more to it?
This is why the tangerine techniques is important it helps you to enter a more productive state of mind.
Review. While learning to gain mastery of photoreading it is best to obtain your trigger words before you photoread. Spending about 8 minutes for an average book.. (200-400 pages) is enough. If as you found there are so many significant trigger words it means that you will need to treat each chapter as a book. In any case remember the trigger words are intended to help you get started when it comes to activation. You can find more later or even use other trigger words that you find during activation.
At this point you may further refine your purpose. E.g. to gain an understanding of one specific chapter rather than the whole book. Or if it is/was a book intended to satisfy your curiousity and now you don't want to read it, fine, give yourself permission to dump it .
The first 2 step set the stage for more successful activation. There is more to them than having the right attitude. They are training the mind to be proactive in your reading/learning techniques. They help even the non photoreader to gain more from his or her reading experience. Many students close a book thinking... I don't know why I just read that, what's the point of it? They don't understand the material and have no idea what they need to get out of it. That is why stating you purpose and previewing is so important.
Alex
