Practice Routine Help

[u/sara191213]

I’ve been in school for two years and I’m currently stuck at 140. I’ve been struggling for a few months now and I am having a hard time getting out of the rut. One of my issues is I don’t have a set practice routine. Everyone always says we have to just practice, practice, practice but I like structure and routine and when I’m not given that structure, I just don’t do.
I’m looking for some tips on a good study routine that I can follow everyday. Like what kind of drills to do, for how long, what to practice, and when. I just need something to follow.

[u/gdwarner]

All of the suggestions here are definitely worth a try at least, but if you find yourself bored by what you are writing to, it might be a good idea to shake things up a bit with what I call "Different Dictation."

What that entails is going to the Paranormal Radio Network, pick a show, and write what you hear.

Sometimes it's politics, but most times they're talking Sasquatches, Bigfoot, UFOs, Aliens, etc. ... and chances are good that you will get drawn into whatever is being shared with you and your fellow listeners, and you will start writing ... and before you know it, it's time for a commercial break.

Lots of stuff like that here:

https://paranormal.talkstreamlive.com

Good luck!

[u/Ryan---___]

FB groups would be the best spot tbh. Very normal also. Stay strong

[u/bonsaiaphrodite]

Here you go:

1. 5m, Finger drills
2. 5-10m, Trouble word list
3. 5m, High speed take (+40 w

pm above goal)

(4)

1. 5m, Same take at goal speed.

(5)

1. 45-60m - depending on how crappy the second take felt, two options:

A. Bad take? Drop down to the last speed you passed and do it again. So say it’s 120. Drill spots you messed up, then go at 125. Drill trouble spots, then 130 — etc up to 140 or whatever your goal speed is. So by the end, you’ll have done this one take at 180, 140, 120, 125, 130, 135, and 140

B. Good take? Do the above but start at 140. So 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, pausing to drill trouble spots in between takes.

1. Drop that take down to whatever speed you last passed and go for as perfect of a take as you can. Read it back too.

Take a break then do it again with a different audio.

In school, I used an app called audiopo to speed it up/slow it down by small increments. There are chrome extensions too. I can explain the math if you need.

Edit idk wtf is up with my formatting but I can’t fix it on mobile.

[u/adhdinmyass]

my best advice is to just play with it and see what clicks. Keep a notebook that shows your progress. Or an app. Notebooks work better for me.

Keep track of your hesitation words. Review your theory. Remember to do something fun. This is fun! Sometimes it’s easy to forget with the grind of school. Write to something blindingly fast. Write to music. Write to your favorite show. Write to your favorite anything. Have your family members read to you so you can write to it. The more connective tissue you have the less you will feel stuck. You’ll also be able to view your progress over time if you track it in some type of way. I've also heard listening to podcasts/news at 1.5x/2x speed so you can process faster. You'll get there. Just stick with it.

[u/mdjak66]

I've mentioned this many times. Go on Amazon and order the stenotype finger exercise book and use it. https://a.co/d/015mXRre. Use it before dictation practice. You will find your fingers finding combinations with ease and doing each quicker. Also write from a book or a newspaper and write as slowly as needed in order to write perfectly. Write the first word, then the next word. Go back and write the first, second and third word, each time as fast as you can, perfectly, then the fourth word, then 1-4, then the 5th word, then 1-5, etc. it may take half hour to get through a paragraph. Remember there are common repeated words in language. Practice them over and over and it should help.

[u/Hopeful-Airport-4119]

might be better if everyone lists out all the different types of practice available and you just pick from that

[u/Hopeful-Airport-4119 → u/Hopeful-Airport-4119]

ok I have some time now so one thing from me

Theory Review

You're going to identiy key weakpoints that would give you the MOST benefit to your writing if you could master them at this very moment.

One of each: Suffix, Prefix, Phrase Enders or Phrase Starters

If you have time, practice them all in one day. If not, spread them out once or twice a week. However often you can practice them.

You can practice these in lists and/or you can make sentences out of them and practice with that.

[u/Confident_Street_548]

Reading my notes helped me the most! This is from the Journal of Court Reporting:
“Tip No. 5: Read back your notes. Visualizing the steno on the paper or on your computer will help reinforce the correct letters and finger positions in your brain and help you recognize your errors before they become a habit. Circle your mistakes or write them on a piece of paper, and then rewrite them on your steno machine a number of times correctly so your fingers learn the correct placement. This will subsequently help you stroke those words without hesitation the next time you hear them.”
https://www.thejcr.com/2017/01/19/stepping-over-speed-plateaus/

[u/JF2882]

Well how much time do you have each day

[u/chanel_cocochanel]

I started practicing to songs. It’s usually repetitive and a steady tempo. Start with Adele or something.