First impressions from a new GTD Connect member
- Thread starter Conejo23
- Start date
Barb....cool! Photoreading actually has a lot of parallels to GTD. Actually, stuff that really works tends to have a lot of commonality with other stuff that works, I find.
One of the things I love about Photoreading is the intentionality of it. You don’t just pick up the book and think “this looks interesting, I'll now read every word the author writes”. You start with intention. WHY are you picking up the book, what do you want to get out of it, what would be a successful outcome from reading this book? Mind map that out. Just doing THAT is a very powerful exercise, no matter your reading style. Get very clear on your purpose for reading that book. Then the specific techniques of Photoreading will work very effectively.
Once I really *got* that concept, it was so liberating. I don’t need to read every word the author wrote just because he wrote it. Some books, absolutely. Other books, I use these techniques until I've satisfied my desired outcome, and then I'm done and I move on. I’ve taken books that would’ve taken me maybe 8-12 hours to read (I'm a reasonably fast standard reader, so this is a lot of material), spent 30-60 minutes up front getting really clear on my purpose and desired outcome, mind mapping it out, and then I spend maybe 2-3 more hours with the book and I'm done and I end up with a lot more information than I would’ve gotten with standard reading.
Fun stuff.
One of the things I love about Photoreading is the intentionality of it. You don’t just pick up the book and think “this looks interesting, I'll now read every word the author writes”. You start with intention. WHY are you picking up the book, what do you want to get out of it, what would be a successful outcome from reading this book? Mind map that out. Just doing THAT is a very powerful exercise, no matter your reading style. Get very clear on your purpose for reading that book. Then the specific techniques of Photoreading will work very effectively.
Once I really *got* that concept, it was so liberating. I don’t need to read every word the author wrote just because he wrote it. Some books, absolutely. Other books, I use these techniques until I've satisfied my desired outcome, and then I'm done and I move on. I’ve taken books that would’ve taken me maybe 8-12 hours to read (I'm a reasonably fast standard reader, so this is a lot of material), spent 30-60 minutes up front getting really clear on my purpose and desired outcome, mind mapping it out, and then I spend maybe 2-3 more hours with the book and I'm done and I end up with a lot more information than I would’ve gotten with standard reading.
Fun stuff.
Barb
0
One question I have
I do almost all of my reading on an Amazon Kindle. Currently, I scan the Table of Contents, create a Mindmap, then go through the book quickly. I go back to the Mindmap and add to it, this time asking key questions. When I go back to the book again, I go looking for the answers to my questions. I usually go through one last time to complete my Mindmap.
Is PhotoReading similar to that? Do you think it would work with a Kindle?
I do almost all of my reading on an Amazon Kindle. Currently, I scan the Table of Contents, create a Mindmap, then go through the book quickly. I go back to the Mindmap and add to it, this time asking key questions. When I go back to the book again, I go looking for the answers to my questions. I usually go through one last time to complete my Mindmap.
Is PhotoReading similar to that? Do you think it would work with a Kindle?
your process has some similarities, but when you get to the “go find answers” step, that’s where I think you’re going to see a number of differences. Another thing I like about this method is that it give you techniques to get your brain into an accelerated learning state where it’s literally more receptive to inputting information.
I think you could do SOME of this method on a Kindle but there’s no way you could do the actual photoreading step itself on one. I don’t think you could turn the pages quickly enough. I think it would also be a challenge entering the ‘photofocus’ visual state on a Kindle. I’d suggest asking this question on their forums when you get closer to checking it out.
A few quick suggestions, though: in addition to the ToC, review the index, then flip through the book quickly page by page, take no more than 5 minutes for a thick book, and scan chapter titles and sub titles or anything that your brain/eyes are drawn to as you flip. It will give you more information and key words for your mind map. Write down both your intended purpose and a list of questions you want answered from your time with this material.
Sounds like you’re well on your way there already though, awesome! Wasn’t it amazing when you started mind mapping a book and your intention with it BEFORE you began reading it? Powerful, powerful stuff.
I think you could do SOME of this method on a Kindle but there’s no way you could do the actual photoreading step itself on one. I don’t think you could turn the pages quickly enough. I think it would also be a challenge entering the ‘photofocus’ visual state on a Kindle. I’d suggest asking this question on their forums when you get closer to checking it out.
A few quick suggestions, though: in addition to the ToC, review the index, then flip through the book quickly page by page, take no more than 5 minutes for a thick book, and scan chapter titles and sub titles or anything that your brain/eyes are drawn to as you flip. It will give you more information and key words for your mind map. Write down both your intended purpose and a list of questions you want answered from your time with this material.
Sounds like you’re well on your way there already though, awesome! Wasn’t it amazing when you started mind mapping a book and your intention with it BEFORE you began reading it? Powerful, powerful stuff.