When I was doing a 1 year web consulting project in Toronto around 2000, I did all my work from home and went into the office only for meetings. I'd get up in the morning, jog to the gym, pump some iron, jog back home, make a nutritious meal, shower, grab a quick nap if I felt tired, and then I was ready to hammer out some serious code (ASP/SQL Server 2000, Javascript, VB6 (eeew!)). I was so effective at churning out well-organized code because I already saw solutions to problems - perhaps while jogging to/from the gym, or maybe just doing a set of this or that execise and just THINKING subconsciously to the next machine or the water fountain. My roommate was at work (office job) so the apartment was QUIET and I never got distracted. It was never ever a problem for me to get into the ZONE. Heck, I also remember times when I'd get up at 2AM because ideas/solutions were just running through my head and I felt re-energized so I'd code for about 2 or 3 hours and go back to sleep feeling that I ACCOMPLISHED something. Those were the good ole days. LOL!! My point? A strong body provides fuel to the mind so that it can solve problems effectively. Doing something outside of programming that provides solace will allow your unconscious mind to find solutions. Thirdly, SILENCE is GOLDEN. Try to avoid distractions at all costs.