i think waste in the sense that youre using is an arbitrary term researching is wasteful but according to whom its important to stop and consider why we think such things its a product of productivityhustling culture which has permeated daily life particularly american life the idea that we must produce something tangible that we always must be doing something our culture deems useful is just that a cultural expectation there isnt an objective law which states you must achieve a b and c or else you arent a valuable member of society   researching isnt wasteful we live in a wonderful world and spending time discovering the hows and whys of the universe is meaningful within itself its a beautiful thing to explore and to understand just because you cant put this on a resume doesnt mean its useless   trait conscientiousness from the big five psychological model of personality is another phenomena all together if youre higher in trait conscientiousness it may be because you are industrious you cant do nothing in your worldview life is best lived aiming toward a goal and working toward it sometimes adhd gets in the way i empathize with you on this one i cant sit around idly for too long at work when there is down time i find myself searching for opportunities to go above and beyond and work to get the place in order  much of the time the restless nagging that happens when im doing something completely self-indulgent propels me to get to work whether that be editing my book researching something useful cleaning or something else   if the latter is your problem i suggest identifying what you find meaningful whether that is your own subjective meaning or if youre drawn toward this like i am what monotheists call objective meaning being a benevolent force for good in the world and demonstrate gods love orient your life around that meaning after your worldview shifts to rest on that framework it will direct your decision-making youll begin thinking does this activity move me closer to my goal is this activity meaningful after a while youll almost feel compelled to get moving   forgive yourself youre going to get better