Hi, mfcplus!
While far from a "pro" (if you read my comments on other threads), your experience is much different from mine. I, too, have questioned the value of the PR step, but the overall effects of the PR course are very worthwhile, in my opinion. If you "couldn't activate" much of the material, slow down and try going through the steps again.
My experience has been that the PR course does provide a good approach for reading less passively--to take more personal responsibility for what you choose to consume by reading. Super reading and dipping is obviously something that takes practice, and--given the layered-learning approach of the course--something you may need to do several times to fully activate a text, depending on your needs with a particular book.
Do you have the tapes or just Scheele's book? What are your expectations for a given book? Are you reading something light or studying for a test? Are you reading fiction or nonfiction? Paul recommends beginning with a nonfiction book because of the subheadings and bold text in that style.
Pick up something light (a biography, history, or how-to book) that interests you, but that isn't crucial to you right now. Begin by preparing (don't forget that step! 
), previewing, and PR-ing. Then superread and dip (or skitter) through the whole text. Write down some key points you've gleaned and also write out several questions you still have unanswered. Then, go through the text again, superreading and dipping.
The game is to see if you can find the answers to all your written questions. You'll at least get some of them, I'm sure. Add the new answers to the list of facts you've started, then--if you're up for it--repeat the process once more.
By the time you're done, you'll have a nice list of facts you've discovered--stuff you probably didn't know before--and you've only spent at most maybe 90 minutes or so working with the book. At that point you can decide whether to put the book into rotation on a 5-day plan (per Scheele's instructions) or to set it aside.
Either way, it's a net gain.
