It's the lesser of 2 evils. At least I'm learning when I'm consuming content that surrounds my work/lifestyle goals rather than just mindlessly scrolling through content that doesn't help me at all.
There are two counter-points that are often dismissed. The first is that if you haven't encountered the concepts, you aren't likely to stumble upon them without searching. Learning to plan and organize your behavior is no different from learning the fundamentals of any other skill.
The second is precisely your point. Our thoughts and behaviors are driven by context. Given a person reading a blog about time-tracking and a person who-knows-where on an infinite social media scroll, who is more likely to close their browser and do whatever they feel is most important? I know who I would bet on.
> who is more likely to close their browser and do whatever they feel is most important? I know who I would bet on.
Immersing oneself in productivity lifehacks is often a good way to feel productive without actually being so. So I don’t think either person stands to have a greater chance than the other towards getting back to work.
Of the last 500 things you read, how many changes have you implemented and sustained?
If your answers to those questions are similar to mine (the latter, and near zero) then I think one is actually better off letting go and just laughing at cat gifs.