I would just echo the idea that you need to eliminate distractions - turn off phone, email, tv, and choose music with no lyrics. I have to have music going to g

I would just echo the idea that you need to eliminate distractions - turn off phone, email, tv, and choose music with no lyrics. I have to have music going to get in the zone. I would add two other things that prevent me from getting in the zone: (1) small (less than 10 minute) tasks, and (2) tasks that I've procrastinated on. If there are lots of 10 minute tasks floating around, they are a distraction since, while working on a major code change, I'm often tempted to just do the quick fix here, quick fix there and then bam - I'm out of the zone (and now am checking email, etc). Do the little tasks and get them out of the way - even if it takes the whole day. The second thing for me is clearing out any procrastinated items. If I don't answer that email, return that call, finish writing that article or whatever, sure enough it's going to pop into my brain at the wrong time and then I'll start thinking what a loser I am b/c I didn't do x, y and z on time. So to sum up: not only is it important to minimize email and other interruptions but it's equally important to clear the chatter from your own head. To do so requires that you eliminate the small tasks and those things that make you think less of yourself.