I knuckled down one weekend and did a marathon mining spree while watching movies. You really just have to grind it out, leves are pretty much useless (see not worth the time for return) at low levels, just save them all for the 40-50 dash (makes this go very quickly). Other than that, make sure you deck yourself out in HQ gear as much as possible and keep upgrading so you can mine at the best spots for your level.