To focus on studying without delving deep into each topic, here are three key points to keep in mind:
Prioritize: Determine the most important topics or concepts within each subject. Identify the essential information that aligns with your goals or the requirements of your coursework. Focus on understanding and mastering these key areas without getting overly immersed in every detail.
Use efficient study techniques: Employ effective study techniques that allow you to absorb information efficiently. These can include techniques such as active reading, summarizing information in your own words, creating concept maps or diagrams to visualize connections, and practicing retrieval through quizzes or flashcards. By using these techniques, you can optimize your study time and focus on the most relevant material.
Seek guidance when necessary: If you encounter challenging or complex topics, seek guidance from your teachers, classmates, or online resources(https://ivypanda.com/blog/the-importance-of-mentorship-for-s...). They can provide insights, explanations, or additional resources that help you grasp the main ideas without having to delve too deeply into every aspect. Don't hesitate to ask for clarification or guidance to stay on track with your studies.
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Funnily enough your description of your issues makes me think you're more likely to have ADHD than you think.
>don't think this is ADHD as I can focus on things I'm more interested. But now I need to focus on things that are less fun but more important. I think throughout my previous 40 years of life I have been haunted by this inability of focusing on important things.
Being able to focus on things one finds interesting and losing that focus for important, less interesting things is indeed the problem one faces with ADHD.
Although I digress, as someone with ADHD I struggle with a similar problem and I think the best thing you can do is to pursue those little impulses, but tell yourself that you'll pursue them once you've completed your task that you're engaged in at that moment(basically procrastinate following your curiosity).
Whenever you get that impulse to get on a side quest, tell yourself "I definitely will get on that side quest as soon as I finish the main one", that way either you may be more motivated to finish your course and you get to dive into things you find interesting too, or sometimes I personally end up losing that impulse if I spend too long without pursuing it, which might work out for you as well.