Paul,
Activation is done in layers. You get the information by doing multiple passes of the book using superreading and dipping in blocks ot 20 to 30 minutes. So all up you may spend 2 or 3 hours activating your first few books (regular sized not textbooks, they are a different story 
).
Keep going with the tapes, you'll get more information that will help to pull it all together for you. As you keep going you'll get a better understanding of the whole process.
Alex
