You need to think about why you are reading the book, for what class and for what professor, and tailor your speed of reading accordingly. You need to grasp the thesis of the book, its methods and its significance. Book reviews are indispensable aids for this kind of reading. I recommend that you read two or three book reviews before reading the book itself, to get a feel for others\u2019 reactions and assessments of the book\u2019s argument and significance. You should highlight and take notes with thesis, methods, and significance in mind, and not get bogged down in the details.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/90\/Wood_Hall_Reading_Room_at_Lewis_%26_Clark_Law_School.jpg\/398px-Wood_Hall_Reading_Room_at_Lewis_%26_Clark_Law_School.jpg\")
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The second practice is making sleep and exercise<\/em> part of your work routine. Again, many graduate students take the \u201cI\u2019ll sleep when I am dead\u201d approach, especially in the last month of the semester. But this invariably damages the quality of the reading and writing you\u2019re doing. Sleep and exercise (if nothing else, daily walks of 20-30 minutes) are essential components for productivity and mental acumen. Sometimes the best thing you can do for that research paper is to stop writing and go to sleep.<\/p>\n Of course, making room for sleep means diligence early in the semester, so that you are not pulling all-nighters. It also means working in the morning when you\u2019re not in class. My best days of dissertation writing began at about 6 am. Often fueled by nothing but coffee, I would read and write until about lunchtime. If you do that everyday (or at least your non-teaching days), you\u2019ll definitely have time to sleep.<\/p>\n