I have the same problem and manage to conquer it with 3 strategies: 1. Acknowledge that passive media consumption is actually not that interesting to me and ju

I have the same problem and manage to conquer it with 3 strategies: 1. Acknowledge that passive media consumption is actually not that interesting to me and just turn off the TV. Or when watching TV sometimes look at tutorials etc for the technologies you are trying to learn. If you find a good teacher this can be very entertaining too. 2. Have 2 Projects - 1 is permanent and the thing you actually want to achieve. The other is dynamic, meaning you can just switch to something else if you feel like exploring a new technology. 3. Give talks on some basic topics. Expectations are not high, but you are forced to learn it so that you can prepare the talk in time. Also this is very rewarding and efforts are very predictable.