Time managment while self-studying rigorous mathematical textbooks

Question

Lately I have been introducing myself to Calculus.But I have an issue with time.

Namely I have found that on average I need about 2-3 hours per page of material.This of course includes finishing all the exercises given with each chapter.

I have been studying Calculus by Michael Spivak.I have a feeling that the problem lies in fact that this is my very first exposition to any calculus concept.

How do you cope with such time-issues or do you even have them?

What would you suggest to speed myself up(skipping exercises is not an option)?

Answer 1

This sounds about normal or a bit fast for a self study to me with no coach to hand feed explanations of your every question. I would not consider your timing to be an issue especially if you are grasping the material in the end. It sounds pretty normal to me.

Digesting mathematical literature to the point where you actually understand it takes time. If you continue this route you might want to expect that some pages of mathematics might take you weeks (ultimately maybe months, years, or never) to truly grasp the material, especially where the math is dense in content. For lack of a better phrase, "it takes as long as it takes". You are not alone, and there is not much that you can do to save time except to buy other books for reference, ask others for clarification, and keep applying your mind to the material.

The fact that you are actually taking the time to solve most or all of the problems rests in your favor for the future content of that particular book. You can however use your own judgement when it comes to reading further before solving every single one of the exercises.

Answer 2

Why not quickly read 'Calculus made easy' by Silvanus P Thompson? It is short and covers the basic concepts which will make a more rigorous approach such as Spivak far easier to handle(you don't even need to do the exercises in Thompson but just get an idea). Saying that, you should get used to spending large amount so time on rigorous mathematics texts because they are meant to be rigorously studied and understood. Never move onto the next sentence before you truly understand the sentence before. I recommend attempting to visualise it and come up with some examples, even practical ones, that will help give some perspective and appreciation for the concepts.