Most people treat research as a phase — something you do before you start. I've come to think of it as a practice that runs alongside everything else.
Research is sustained curiosity with some structure. It's asking a question, following it somewhere, and writing down what you found — even when what you found is that the question was wrong.
The hardest part isn't finding sources. It's deciding when you've read enough to say something. Set that threshold too high and you never write. Too low and you write things you'll regret.