Quote:
Originally Posted by qed  When I buy a book, I have a rough idea about what it is going to be about. Can I set an intention to simply "absorb the new concepts the book has different than what I already know" or is that too vague? |
I've tried that and rarely found it to be effective, both with PhotoReading and regular reading. It's just too vague, and it gives my mind nothing to latch onto. I may understand the concepts to a certain degree as I go through the book, but it's a safe bet I'll forget nearly all the detail within a week or so.
I've learned that when my intention for a book is so vague, even after doing a 5-minute preview of the book, I simply don't need to read it. It's a signal to go read something else.
What works for me is to define how I expect a book to change my behavior or lead to new actions. If a book is likely to have no effect on my behavior, then it's safe to say it will have no long-term effect on my thinking either, which means it's of little value to me.
When I PhotoRead
The Comedy Bible, I focused on how it could alter my behavior. It could allow me to incorporate better humor into my speeches, generate more laughter, etc. Two weeks from now I'll be competing in a humorous speech contest using ideas from that book. That's very actionable information, and knowing what I want from the book is what allows me to extract that value quickly.
Even if you're just reading a biography, look for ideas you can apply to your own life. How will reading this biography help you grow? How will it change you? If no answer to these questions is forthcoming, switch to a different book that gives you clear answers. There are so many books that will change you that there's no need to waste time on books that won't.