It is important to understand that truth does not belong to anyone; it is the outcome of the scientific exchange of written ideas. If writing is the medium of research and studying nothing else than research, then there is no reason not to work as if nothing else counts than writing.
focusing on writing as if nothing else counts does not mean you should do everything else less well but it makes you do everything else differently having a clear tangible purpose when you attend a lecture-discussion or seminar will make you more engaged and sharpen your focus, it will change the way you read as well you will become more focused on the most relevant aspect, knowing that you cannot write down everything you will read in a more engaged way because you cannot rephrase anything in your own words if you don’t understand what it is about. you also have to think beyond the things you read, because you need to turn them into something new. and by doing everything with a clear purpose of writing about it you will do it deliberately.