I recently got out of this rut (somewhat. do you ever escape completely?) by starting a side project with some (light) responsibility. It's a reasonably complex mobile app, for a company I like, with guaranteed users and a time-table for delivery.
It has been wonderful. I'm a lot more focused in my research, because I'm hitting problems I haven't hit yet at work. I'm learning stuff that comes in handy elsewhere, and learning it quite a bit better than "read it somewhere" because I've had to use it non-trivially.
--
Not that I'm suggesting you start contracting. That's unrelated. But having some kind of social responsibility can help a lot - talk about it, blog about the progress, and try to do something on it every day or so. Finishing things can be almost as addictive as wanting to start things, and it's way more useful.
edit: I'm seeing lots of "don't break the chain" mentions. In isolation, that hasn't worked for me :| Having some kind of external expectation that you don't break it / continue to make progress anyway is what pushed me over the edge.
It has been wonderful. I'm a lot more focused in my research, because I'm hitting problems I haven't hit yet at work. I'm learning stuff that comes in handy elsewhere, and learning it quite a bit better than "read it somewhere" because I've had to use it non-trivially.
--
Not that I'm suggesting you start contracting. That's unrelated. But having some kind of social responsibility can help a lot - talk about it, blog about the progress, and try to do something on it every day or so. Finishing things can be almost as addictive as wanting to start things, and it's way more useful.
edit: I'm seeing lots of "don't break the chain" mentions. In isolation, that hasn't worked for me :| Having some kind of external expectation that you don't break it / continue to make progress anyway is what pushed me over the edge.