GTDAcademic;93967 said:
Do you have any more tips as to how you tackle the vast amount of reading we academics have to do?
Good question! It's impossible to read everything. I mostly read things that are directly connected with a "do" project, and generally make note of what to read and delay the actual reading until I'm immersed in the project. I have a textbook that comes out in a new edition every 3 or 4 years, and between deadlines, I have both paper and electronic folders of each chapter, or major heading within a chapter if there's going to be a lot of revision. I file materials -- links, abstracts, full text articles, in those folders. As the years have passed, more and more of this is simply electronic, which saves space and makes searching easier. When time permits, I rejuvenate my thoughts by looking at the relevant folder before teaching that material in class, and draft new paragraphs if time permits, even if there isn't a near deadline to deliver to the publisher. I find that by "chunking" my reading on a topic, I process the reading more deeply and remember it much better.
And then, of course, come the mountains of student papers to read -- that, of course, is done under deadline pressure, but that isn't what you meant, I'm sure. When a student paper cites a source that looks relevant to my own academic interests, I note that, either in the paper or electronic file, or (more recently) in an OmniFocus item for the relevant project.
I also keep PDF copies of some articles that I want to read on my iPad or Kindle, thinking I may be able to read them in odd moments -- but that seldom comes to fruition.
Let me know if you find additional tips on reading!
