Sometimes, when I encounter this, I use one as a reward for the other. Then I don't feel guilty for the pointless action because I did something productive firs

Sometimes, when I encounter this, I use one as a reward for the other. Then I don't feel guilty for the pointless action because I did something productive first. The hard part for me is the gnawing desire to create something. That's when I get stuck and only come free once I have done enough work to scratch that itch.