You have to do research. It's a must. You should keep up with the market. But these things shouldn't take us away from the actual writing of our novel. We can avoid inane or viable ways of procrastinating by setting priorities and setting goals.
Goals are probably one of the things unpublished writers use the least.
All they have is what they impose upon themselves. For every action there is a reaction, and this scientific law also holds true for procrastination and goals. The less you write, the less you want to write. The more you write, the more you want to write. Procrastinate long enough and you may never go back to your dream.