Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer getting it down pact

My parents bought me the course for my birthday and I finished the course. I am however not able to do the full process on my own to where I feel that if I want to read a book, I will have understood it after I have photoread it.

My process for photo reading an academic book

I prepare by thinking of the orange.
I relax and get into a quiet area.

I read the first paragraph and start looking for key words on about every page, writing them down.

I then set a goal, and want to know all I can about this topic and usually it is the entire book.

After that I try to photoread but I have no idea if I am doing it right. I understand the blip between the fingers, however I don't see a blip in the pages I wish I knew what to look for but otherwise I try and look at the white spots in the page, and form an X.

I tried to look up the stereograms (magic eye) and see them, I can see most of them but that still doesn't tell me if I am photoreading correctly.

After I photo read I may wait an hour or not and then I move into superreading and dipping.

I feel like I need a timer to beep every 15 or so seconds because I stay on the page much longer than that sometimes because there is so much info that I think I am missing it all.

After that I try to make somekind of map, but I don't remember much, only what I superread, but not much unless during that process, I normal read the book.

After that I feel like I need to read the book normally so that I will know something because I probably have class tomorrow and I have to know what is going on in class so I must understand the material.

Now not only do I have a lot of material to read, but I want to read the newspapers and other journals every day, if I understood this process and was able to do it immediately and effectively I would have achieved my goal.

thank you for your help in advance,

Alexander

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I read the first paragraph and start looking for key words on about every page, writing them down.

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This is overkill only look for trigger words every 10 pages or so. Look at the whole page during preview and grab the words that jump up at you. Save rhymthic persal for activation, (after photoreading and post viewing). So for previewing and postviewing (where you look for trigger words) grab a few pages and look, turn a few more. So that in about 8 minutes you get about 25 trigger words from a whole book. The idea is to avoid getting caught up in reading.

For the blip page, grab a book, open it up, lift a page now curve it without creasing so that the outer edge is in the center crease. This page now makes a sort of bulge between the two pages giving you a third page. That is what a blip page looks like. When you go into photofocus you will see a ghostlike effect that is similar to that. The words will be out of focus and that's fine.

Looking with photofocus is a parallel view, you can practice with stereo 3D images and there are some additonal ways of gaining photofocus. I found that taking a book outside and picking a spot well into the distance to focus on helped. Pick a spot to focus on and without changing your gaze notice the blip as you move the book up before your eyes at about 40cm (18 inches) distance. The surprise might cause you to change focus but practice with stereograms.
http://www.vision3d.com/3views.html
That site has some additional ways of seeing with parallel vision (bottom of the page). In the mean time keep using the imaginary X technique.

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I feel like I need a timer to beep every 15 or so seconds because I stay on the page much longer than that sometimes because there is so much info that I think I am missing it all.

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Set a timer for 20 or 30 minutes (30 minutes if you aim to get through the whole book). You aim to build comprehension in multiple passes rather than in one go. So if you form clear questions superread and dip for the answers the rest is irrelevant. When you ask additional questions you can find yourself superreading that page or even a series of pages again. And that's how you build the comprehension. Remember you first books become fully activated in about 1/3 the time it took you to regular read them so. If the book would have taken you 12 hours with regular reading it would take you 3 perhaps 4 hours with photoreading. In other words that's 6 to 8 30 minute activation layers, and thats probably 4 times per page exposure to the information on the page. With experience you will know when you have all the information you want.

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After that I feel like I need to read the book normally so that I will know something because I probably have class tomorrow and I have to know what is going on in class so I must understand the material

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That simply means the book hasn't gelled for you and you need to do some more activation layers. Another 30 minutes might be all that is required. The only time I would be concerned with having conscious comprehension of a certain chapter or book is when the instructor advised you to have it read prior to class, and even then they have to allow for members of the class not having read it, so class becomes further activation of the text.

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Now not only do I have a lot of material to read, but I want to read the newspapers and other journals every day, if I understood this process and was able to do it immediately and effectively I would have achieved my goal.

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The number one rule you learn as an effective reader is... prioritise. When it comes down to it not everything has to be read fully. Some of that material you will only photoread and perhaps for short 10 page articles postview for 3 minutes and decide it isn't worth your time to go further. Others you will instinctively dump because you already know the information provided and there is nothing more for you to gain from it. So preview all your reading material and trust your judgement when you ask yourself the question "Is this worth my time, now or even later?"

Alex

Ok, I tried the photofocus state, and it works, I understand the blip page now, but I don't know if I can hold it, what do you do if you break out of the photofocus state while photoreading?

I just tried to photoread an article and I previewed, photoread, then I superread, now I am about to do more activating, during the mind mapping process, should you know everything that you are mind mapping after you have superread, or should you mind map while you are doing this process?

Thanks
Alex

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Originally posted by Alexander858:
Ok, I tried the photofocus state, and it works, I understand the blip page now, but I don't know if I can hold it, what do you do if you break out of the photofocus state while photoreading?

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When you lose the blip use the X technique it follows on easily enough without breaking pace. The blip will stay steady after a bit of use

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I just tried to photoread an article and I previewed, photoread, then I superread, now I am about to do more activating, during the mind mapping process, should you know everything that you are mind mapping after you have superread, or should you mind map while you are doing this process?

Thanks
Alex

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Try both ways. Some prefer to mind map whilst activating. This has the disadvantage of slowing you down considerably and the danger of dragging you into regular reading.

I personally prefer after superreading and dipping because it forces me to draw the mind map from my own memory rather than from the text. The interesting thing about it is I can often add more than I consciously remember activating. When the subject seems a little more complex for me I shorten my activation time to 10 or 15 minutes instead of 20 and I stay with it for a couple of passes before I take a break.

On when to mind map, there isn't a right time, so much as when you feel it's right. If you have the strong urge to map it, at any point, I suggest that's your activation cue that now is the time to map it.

Alex

[This message has been edited by AlexK (edited September 24, 2003).]