In much of my undergraduate and postgraduate work I read and wrote very much according to the clock. This involved a strict adherence to half-hour slots, followed by breaks of five minutes. The problem with this method is that it seems to preclude the sort of passionate absorption in texts that characterised my pre-university reading. I mostly found myself watching the clock to ensure I stayed within my timed limits, thereby reducing my concentration levels.

Now that I am a Ph.D. student working on authors who have been of the utmost personal significance to me, I do not wish to simply indulge in a formal academic exercise. I would like to know how other people approach their reading.