Well, I mean, what if it's just the way you work? So you're creative and you like learning new things, big whoop. Someday it'll come in handy when your task-foc

Well, I mean, what if it's just the way you work? So you're creative and you like learning new things, big whoop. Someday it'll come in handy when your task-focused colleagues need somebody who can rattle off the state of the art in database indexing or adversarial networks... If it's actually impairing your life (as in, you put in 12 hours days because there is no way your brain will allow you to complete your work in 8), you need to consider changes in work environment may be needed to keep you on task. Several of my friends had success with lists and time tracking (it helps be aware that, whoops, you're working on bug #Y now). Pair programming tends to keep people very focused and it will never go on for 12 hours, so you could pair part of the day, get the core work done, and then feel guilt-free about the self-learning. Take physical breaks, start drinking coffee, or both. Sometimes lack of focus is a natural consequence of your task being not nearly exciting enough. We all have tasks to do that are terribly boring, so when stuck in one, occasionally give your brain a nugget of stuff feeling new. But don't task switch without physically changing your environment; going outside when you need to goof off will let you internalize that at desk=boring stuff we get paid for and outside=play time. (Like many other smart children you and I probably didn't learn that lesson quite as well as we should have in school.)