I use a noise generator. Noisy - http://code.google.com/p/noisy/ http://code.google.com/p/noisy/ Turn it on and - for me - it sounds incredibly distracting.

I use a noise generator. Noisy - http://code.google.com/p/noisy/ http://code.google.com/p/noisy/ Turn it on and - for me - it sounds incredibly distracting. A few minutes later I don't notice it all and the background distractions fade away. I've used it at work, I've used it at home. Recommended.