Here's what has worked for me: Workspaces - I use Ubuntu with Gnome, and I set up three workspaces: one for personal stuff like Hacker News, a middle one for w

Here's what has worked for me: Workspaces - I use Ubuntu with Gnome, and I set up three workspaces: one for personal stuff like Hacker News, a middle one for work communications (email, Slack), and a third with the tools I actually use for my job. This way at least I don't have distractions staring me in the face all the time when I'm trying to work. A step better would be to use a separate computer for personal stuff and to keep it suspended or even powered off. Social media - I removed all social media apps on my phone so now it only bothers me for texts and those annoying ubiquitous spam phone calls which I can easily ignore. I deleted Facebook ages ago and I hardly ever look at Tweeter. Segmented browsing - I use Firefox for personal stuff and Chromium for work (I'm not a front-end web dev). When I need to concentrate I can run `pkill -f firefox` and get rid of that distraction while knowing that I can get my tabs back later. Structuring tasks - Break tasks up into chunks that you can finish in an hour or two. Make lists and check boxes. It's important to feel like you're making some kind of progress. A big amorphous blob of project is a barrier to getting started again. Accountability - I've been working remotely for 11 years now. I had a real crisis of focus and ennui early on, but then I went to my boss and asked for twice-weekly meetings. It really helps me to know that somebody is going to ask about my tasks, plus it's a nice social time. Exercise - Nobody would mistake me for a fitness enthusiast but I concentrate much better if I do at least basic exercise every day. A walk around the block is great for clearing my head, and I sometimes get ideas while outside. Housekeeping - Tidy up your workspace. Run apt-get updates. Keep some simple tasks around for when you have low mental energy. The equivalent of dusting or sweeping the floor. Acceptance - I'm reading HN right now. It's okay, I can't sustain focus forever. Skimming the tech trades can give you a sense of what kinds of things other people are doing and what new tools might be out there. Keep track of interesting things using Pinboard or django-linkpile or something. Over my career I've had lots of times where the solution to a work problem came from something I read in a Slashdot or HN post or comment. I read something by mid-1600s monk Brother Lawrence a long time ago. A novice monk was having trouble focusing during his prayer times and was told to go seek his advice. Brother Lawrence basically said don't beat yourself up over it (certain monastic orders would self-flagellate to try to purify themselves), but just acknowledge that you've lost focus, ask the Lord for forgiveness and strength, and get back to it. You will lose focus. It happens. Don't beat yourself up, take a short break, and get back to it. Speaking of which...