He maximizes this targeted reading time by starting his day with another info source: news radio. He listens to the headlines while he's in the shower so that he doesn't have to tackle everything from scratch when he does his morning reading.

Two daily e-mail digests help Buchanan get right to the big stories that others in his industry will be talking about. It cuts out the scanning-and-searching time he would otherwise spend playing daily catch-up. Also, in his personal reading, he doesn't get bogged down; if a book doesn't "grab my attention in the first few pages, I put it down and move on to the next."

The Tracker
Patrick Kowalczyk is constantly switching gears. An account director at Michael Kaminer Public Relations, Kowalczyk's diverse client list demands that he stay on top of the latest news in multiple industries. His current clients include a photoblog company, a business author, a real-estate firm, a nonprofit that helps lesbian and gay youths, and others.

"I wake up to NPR so the news of the day filters into my head. Subconsciously, I think it helps me figure out what to look for in newspapers," Kowalczyk says. Considering the amount of reading material he scans, a head start isn't just helpful; it's mandatory. The self-described "media junkie" reads all of the New York City dailies in print and, "at the very least," USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. But his strategy hinges on reading just enough. "I scan the headlines and then read the first three or four graphs [of each story] to decide [whether I need to read it]," he says.