Do you have special techniques you use to prepare your mind for reading books?
Something has been in my mind for a few weeks. And I didn't know what to do about it. You know that I'm interested in reading, learning, and memory. I've read several books on the topic. And I've taken some courses on reading and learning.
Close to 15 years ago, Lydia Danner taught me High Speed Learning. Additionally, I bought the PhotoReading course in March 2013 and went through most of the course once without doing the exercises. And I'm embarrassed to say that I never went back to it for a while.
Although, I bought HyperLearning in May 2015, I only completed it last year. When I first bought the program, my brother had died only months before and I wasn't mentally prepared to take the course. Anyway, during the last half of 2019, I set aside time to complete both HyperLearning and PhotoReading.
In fact, I went through the PhotoReading course two times completing the exercises. I found sections of the Hyperlearning course simply too weird for me. And it didn't help that I couldn't find its creator online.
So what's been on my mind? And what does it have to do with reading and learning and preparing your mind for reading books?
I've written several times that it's not effective or good use of your time to simply take up a book and start to read it from cover-to-cover. A better way to go is to get into a relaxed, yet alert state, then preview the non-fiction book to decide which sections to read. I went as far as to say that a good way to get into that state is by listening to a binaural beats audio. And I still believe that, I'm listening to the binaural beats audio, right now as I write this.
The issue for me is that when I first took the High Speed Learning course and prepared my mind before reading a book, when I was reading the book, there was a certain “knowingness”. In both High Speed Learning and PhotoReading, you actually flip through the pages of a book. You're not actually reading in the traditional sense. But your subconscious mind is absorbing the information as you quickly turn the pages. You repeat certain mantras as you do so.
Prepare Your Mind for Reading Books: High Speed Learning
When Lydia Danner taught me high speed learning, before we started reading, we spent time preparing our minds first. That day, she was teaching two of her friends (myself and a realtor) the technique. Preparation came in the form of:
- Doing exercises to get into the whole mind where you're using both sides of the brain.
- Getting into alpha brain wave state (binaural beats audio does this).
After several reading drills, she gave us The Pearl
to read. I hadn't read The Pearl since high school, and now had only a general knowledge of the book decades later. After using the techniques to high speed learn The Pearl, Lydia tested us. I scored 76 percent on the test.
Prepare Your Mind for Reading Books: PhotoReading
The PhotoReading course I took is a digital download one. And not a face-to-face in-person course like what I experienced with Lydia Danner. The PhotoReading audio program is very detailed and Paul Scheele walks you through getting into a relaxed yet alert state. Because I didn't feel confident that I read the book, I would focus on the important sections of the books, like I've been teaching you here. But as I was reading the essential sections in the book, there was no “knowingness.” I didn't experience any deja vous like I'd seen the information before.
My confidence started plummeting. Yes, preparing your mind, getting into alpha, previewing the book first is an excellent strategy. And it saves you lots of time. However I was stumped. If I did the addition step of PhotoReading the book first, then doing my regular steps, why wasn't I whipping through the books faster?
That puzzle bothered me tremendously. I wondered if I needed to go through the PhotoReading course a third time. I decided against that. If you keep on doing the same thing, how can you expect to get different results?
Prepare Your Mind for Reading Books: What Block Did Avil Face When Learning PhotoReading?
I went through all the files I downloaded for the PhotoReading course. I noticed a few videos and started to watch them. In one of them, Paul Scheele asked the participants to stand up. He led them through a series of exercises to help them prepare their minds for PhotoReading books.
Most of the exercises were similar to the exercises that Lydia led us through. Before reading a book, doing those exercises were no longer a part of my process. I wasn't getting into the whole mind state. I was focusing on getting into alpha.
I'm writing this because you're supposed to tie new information to what you already know. That's how you build knowledge. That's how you grow. And it can be your competitive advantage. The thing that makes you unique. No other person is learning exactly what you're learning. Use that to your advantage.
The light bulb went on. Could that be the reason why when I was reading the essential sections of a book, there was no deja vous?
Prepare Your Mind for Reading Books: Exercises to Do
Here is an article that walks you through the exercises to do to integrate both sides of the brain, so you absorb more of what you read. Although I learned these techniques about 15 years ago, I stopped using them for some reason. And I also stopped getting the full benefits. Obviously if you're in an open space, where others will see you, it would be difficult to do them. But when you're in the privacy of your home, do them first, then get into alpha brainwave state. This is the best way to prepare for reading.
What I taught you before, will still work well. But this is another opportunity to go deeper. For me, I need it if I want to be able to get the true benefits of High Speed Learning and PhotoReading. For my peace of mind, I need to MASTER PhotoReading. Today, I started to do the exercises again. We're all busy and want to save time. But when it comes to reading and learning, a little bit of preparation can go a long way. You can do the exercises in five minutes. Additionally, any exercise that uses both sides of the body will integrate both sides of your brain – jumping jacks, marching band…
Have you read?
What Does Serendipity Mean, and Can You Plan it?
Abby L. Vandiver's book A Deadly Inside Scoop is coming out in May. I pre-ordered her book because it's important to support other authors. The Book Giveaway runs from January 25th to February 17th 2020 on Goodreads. Fifty copies of A Deadly Inside Scoop are up for grabs.
Enter contest today! If you feel called to do so, pre-order two copies for friends who like cozy mysteries. I write all the time about reading broadly, so my request shouldn't come as a surprise. To read broadly also means to read fiction as well as non-fiction books. Reading novels can help you to become more empathetic. And solving mysteries helps you to hone your problem solving skills. Problem solving is one of the skills the World Economic forum says you need to thrive in the future.
How Avil Can Help You!
If you do not want to gamify your reading, I invite you to Join the Performance Accelerator Plan that walks you through the process of learning key skills and more. You’ll be reading books to build skills and develop intercultural awareness. Get more reading and learning tips here.
In December 2020, I published two books on Amazon. I would greatly appreciate your support if you bought my two short e-books Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon and Performance Accelerator Plan: Guide to Learning and Mastering Key Skills for the Future.
Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon is not about speed reading. It’s about approaching every book differently and reading only the sections that align with your purpose.
The Performance Accelerator Plan book is a stripped-down version of the paid reading challenge of the same name. Obviously, you won’t get all the resources that come with the program that I sell on my website. But if you are a self-directed learner, it will help you tremendously.
Note: If you click on a link and buy something on Amazon, the company will pay me a small commission.
