You're equating reading articles to being productive. I find the opposite to be true. When I spend an evening browsing hacker news is when I feel unproductive.
I feel productive when I put away all the distractions, and just hack on one of my personal projects, of which there are plenty.
Exactly. How is reading articles helping you reach your goals? How is just writing down your ideas productive?
Maybe the reason you're not excited about doing those things is because you know that doing them does not equal progress. Being productive means producing something, and not just words on paper (unless you're a writer).
Pick an idea you're really interested in -- something you actually want to use yourself -- and start working on it.
I feel productive when I put away all the distractions, and just hack on one of my personal projects, of which there are plenty.