Intermediate Japanese Readers, do you “just read” books, or “study” e.g .unknown material?

I'm currently reaching upper intermediate level, and aim for the JLPT N1 in July 2026.

To prepare, a suggestion I often found is "Read a lot, read everything you can get your hands on".

To those who have walked before me: Would you recommend just reading, and skipping unknown parts if you can understand the context without them, or would you e.g. highlight unknown words and grammar structures, study them and add them to Anki?

I'm asking because thoroughly studying while reading takes maybe 3x the time, and I'm wondering if that is worth it, given that I will read much less material when doing so.

I'm also considering doing both and splitting my time: reading lighter stuff (e.g. light novels) for pleasure without stopping to study, and intensively studying something else, e.g. a reading comprehension book.

I'd be grateful for any advice for what has worked for others who had the same question.