As engineers, you will always be tempted to go down the rabbit hole while reading anything dense, be it a paper, blog, or book. Comprehending a few sections well gives you an adrenaline rush to understand it all and explore all the concepts in depth.
But this is unnecessary almost always. When you are reading a paper, you need to know why you are reading it, what the goal is, and what outcome you are seeking.
If you want to understand it end-to-end, then sure, go down the rabbit hole. If you want to just build an idea about the approach, then stop when you think you have built a decent understanding.
Remember, when you are digging deeper, you are putting your time, energy, and mental bandwidth. So, this should be the most urgent and the most important thing for you at the moment. If it is, sure, continue to put in the effort, but if not, come out of the rabbit hole and switch to something that is more critical.
it is okay to not completely understand a paper. it is okay to not complete a book. it is okay to not finish the project.
You should always analyze what’s urgent, important, and best use of your time and prioritize it. Apply the same principle to decide how deep you want to go when you are reading anything dense, and it is always okay to pause.
Hope this helps.