When you work, you can feel accomplished by knowing there's a paycheck at the end of the day that you can use to support your family. When doing exercise you can feel accomplished by ensuring your health and fit body as the end result.
How can one achieve a similar sort of "feeling of accomplishment" when one is occupied in the study of Torah where no apparent immediate outcome is realized?
1) One way is to learn halacha - I don't mean just going through halacha books or even the Mishna Brurah, but rather learning the earlier sources in depth, understanding the underlying principles, until you get to later poskim and practical psak. Being knowledgeable in a particular area of practical Halacha feels like a tangible outcome in that you can use it practically. Also, just knowing that you know the ins and outs of a segment of halacha feels great.
2) Another way is to give a shiur (or even write a book/sefer) - don't dismiss this idea so quickly!! It will not only force you to learn more effectively and accurately in preparation, but will also result in a tangible accomplishment. I know someone personally who gave a weekly shiur primarily in order to bolster his own learning, and ended up writing a book based on the material from the shiur!
3) If you feel accomplished when doing excercise because you know you are ensuring your health and fit body, you should feel similarly regarding learning and your soul - there are many sources that indicate that Torah is very, very good for your soul. Perhaps learning sforim/sources that talk about the benefits Torah learning has on oneself would help you attain that 'tangible outcome' feeling when you learn.
4) The following is translated from a letter of the Steipler Gaon (Krina Di'igrsa vol. 2 letter 3):
"The main advice for achieving a sweet feeling from learning is understanding it deeply. And you must specifically learn with a good chaver and not in solitude. When you do find yourself learning alone, speak out with your mouth in a way you yourself understand all the details of what you learned: 'This Tanna's opinion is this, that Tanna's opinion is that, and their reasoning is such-and-such, and Rashi explains it like this, and Tosfos explain it like that, and this is the reason Tosfos disagrees with Rashi', etc. etc......over the course of time you will acquire the sweetness of Torah in large measure, but do not expect it to come immediately or in a short time, for all beginnings are difficult....and you should know that more beloved is one time with pain than a hundred times without pain as it says in Avos DR"N chapter 3 - and all the siyata dishmaya you merit to achieve is by virtue of [initially] learning with pain.....and you should know that you will be compensated over the course of time - no pain or effort on your part will be for naught....you need to pray with your whole heart to beseech God...that you should attain the sweetness of Torah, and that you should have a good and appropriate study partner, and that you should have siyata dshmaya - all this you should pray for after Shmoneh Esrei after the verse of 'yihyu lratzon...' every day. And a prayer that comes from the depth of the heart does not return empty-handed, 'for God is close to all who call out to him...truthfully' "
May be linked to the Tefilat Rabbi Nechunia Ben Hakana.
משנה: ר' נחוניא בן הקנה היה מתפלל בכניסתו לבית המדרש וביציאתו תפלה קצרה אמרו לו מה מקום לתפלה זו אמר להם בכניסתי אני מתפלל שלא יארע דבר תקלה על ידי וביציאתי אני נותן הודאה על חלקי:
גמרא: ת''ר ... ביציאתו מהו אומר מודה אני לפניך ה' אלהי ששמת חלקי מיושבי בית המדרש ולא שמת חלקי מיושבי קרנות שאני משכים והם משכימים אני משכים לדברי תורה והם משכימים לדברים בטלים אני עמל והם עמלים אני עמל ומקבל שכר והם עמלים ואינם מקבלים שכר אני רץ והם רצים אני רץ לחיי העולם הבא והם רצים לבאר שחת:
Mishnah: R' Nehunia b. Ha-Kaneh used to say a prayer as he entered the beth ha-midrash and as he left it - a short prayer`they said to him: What sort of prayer is this? he replied: ... and when I leave I express thanks for my lot.
Gemara Our Rabbis taught: ... On his leaving what does he say? 'I give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, that Thou hast set my portion with those who sit in the Beth ha-Midrash and Thou hast not set my portion with those who sit in [street] corners, for I rise early and they rise early, but I ris early for words of Torah and they rise early for frivolous talk; I labour and they labour, but I labour and receive a reward and they labour and do not receive a reward; I run and they run, but I run to the life of the future world and they run to the pit of destruction.
But the OP asks also for apparent outcome, and for the link between some topics of the talmud they seems linked only to far removed topics and a reward to Olam Haba.
By my experience, first, if you believe that Tora is truth, it is very reassuring to know this. The fact that you are dealing with search of truth is a great pleasure. You know that the learning is not mixed with rubish. You know that you invest and not in vain. With Experience in limud Shass, you see everyday that what you learn in one place makes sense for topic learned previously, you become familiar with the message of torah you get more close with the mitsvot, the. When you touch a part of a compact set, you touch the whole. You learn to be accurate and you can appreciate the wisdom of authors of books. You remember the study and the practice is no more an obscure custom, but a whole matter containing thinking and acting.
may want to learn a Yomi program such as Daf Yomi with a chavruta. Knowing that you will complete shas in 7 years can give alot of motivation and satisfaction. Rabbi Nissan Kaplan once told me "Daf Yomi saved alot of people".
also, you can get a feeling of accomplishment by contemplating that you are doing the will of God by studying torah and torah study is of paramount importance in His eyes.
"Rabbi Eleazar said: 'Great is Torah for, were it not for it, heaven and earth would not exist, as it is stated [Yirmiyahu 33:25], "If my covenant be not day and night, I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth"'" (Nedarim 32a); source
If this doesn't mean much try to work on love of God. some suggestions.
study nature with the proper outlook. Rabbi Avraham Twersky brings the Rambam in Deot who says this brings one to crave closeness to God. He adds that this is the only way to attain Ahava and Yira Hashem according to the Rambam.src
The Mesilat Yesharim in ch.8 says, among other things, that looking at the many benefits God does for a person brings one to zeal (i.e. love of God).
may also help to read about the paramount importance of torah study (see Derech Hashem 4:2). there are also some good lectures out there such as Maalos HaTorah by Rabbi Nissan Kaplan.
I have found learning standing up and without laziness, speaking out the words with a study partner, can bring about tremendous satisfaction in learning (Talmud).
