My cycle is usually reading books. Then watching tutorials and finally trying to implement a simple application using what I learned is what usually works for me. As far as hobbies, doing some sort of physical exercise helps get my creativity/cognitive process going. Also getting enough sleep and recovery.
Try to set a realistic amount of time that you can spend over a longer time rather than setting long hours that you can sustain only for a week or two. Do less and do it deliberately. For example: Always work on Django from 8am-8:30am, every day, no matter how busy or relaxed it is. Always work on a problem that you find interesting. Maybe you start with a simple todo app and develop features every day that make it a project management tool or expand it into a mail system. Establishing a system that is realistic for at least two years will make you a lot better than binge learning for two weeks and loosing interest and power after it.