That's a potential for trouble for sure, shinies that distract, but have no substance, like a will-o-the-wisp that leads you into a quagmire.

I think though, that's why I'd be curious to try and make it a dedicated separate writing time. So I'd have my normal daily goal on current WIP of 500 words. Once that session is complete, take a break, do a bit of something else to "cleanse the palate" then sit down fresh with alternate projects.

Will this work? No clue. It is, in general how I tend to do blog posts and short articles. The only real difference is the nature of the writing.