I think everyone's susceptible to this sort of frenetic behavior when it comes to knowledge work. We all have our own coping mechanisms, but mine may help you:
Start each day's work the night before by considering the big-level picture of what you're working on (learning LISP, starting a new marketing campaign...). Then make a to-do list of smaller pieces that sum to that component of your overarching goal. Keep what's within reason -- stretch yourself a little -- but save the rest for another day.
Then the next day work around that list. And when you inevitably encounter interesting bits that aren't among your executable (clever quotes, concepts that surprise you) put them in some storage bin. This part is tremendously important for me... the "brain dump" lets me put the distraction out of mind because I know I'll return to it.
Then rinse, repeat.
Over a few weeks you start moving closer to your goals, and you even have a record of interesting things to keep your attention on a rainy day.
I know your question was about tools specifically, but the tools question becomes less important (a spiral-bound notebook works) when you separate strategy from hour-to-hour productivity.
Start each day's work the night before by considering the big-level picture of what you're working on (learning LISP, starting a new marketing campaign...). Then make a to-do list of smaller pieces that sum to that component of your overarching goal. Keep what's within reason -- stretch yourself a little -- but save the rest for another day.
Then the next day work around that list. And when you inevitably encounter interesting bits that aren't among your executable (clever quotes, concepts that surprise you) put them in some storage bin. This part is tremendously important for me... the "brain dump" lets me put the distraction out of mind because I know I'll return to it.
Then rinse, repeat.
Over a few weeks you start moving closer to your goals, and you even have a record of interesting things to keep your attention on a rainy day.
I know your question was about tools specifically, but the tools question becomes less important (a spiral-bound notebook works) when you separate strategy from hour-to-hour productivity.