What's the goal?

If you have the resources and the (at least tacit) agreement of the institution whose resources you are using, follow your own lead. Of course, you may run out of one resource or another before accomplishing anything more than personal indulgence.

If you have to get a result, and you do not understand something (and have limited resources such as time), go to someone and ask for understanding, or at least a different perspective. If the question is focussed enough and still evasive, ask on MathOverflow. Even if the question is eventually deemed inappropriate, some will notice and give you advice toward understanding. (Don't stop there. Ask department faculty, etc., as appropriate.)

In short, to avoid the desire for universalism, pretend that you don't get paid if you don't deliver product in a timely fashion. That way of thinking will at least help you focus on producing something worthwhile for your efforts. If you are interested, I can suggest a few strategies to adopt.

Gerhard "Ask Me About System Design" Paseman, 2010.08.17