The work of creative professionals is that which enjoys long, contiguous blocks of concentration and undivided attention. I leave the case of whether it demands such conditions open to debate, but I assert that fostering concentration won't hurt performance, and it's unlikely that one would miss much in the meanwhile. My solution — admittedly an experiment — is to eradicate all sources of distraction on my main computer, and sequester them elsewhere.
In my first attempt, I set up a laptop to handle my mail, feeds, messaging and serendipitous Web browsing. I perched it at the edge of my desk farthest from my main machine, which was far enough away that I would have to reorient myself to use it. This provided a solid separation of cognitive contexts — I could be in work mode one instant, pivot and goof off the next. Any files I generated on either machine, I would shunt to a common shared folder. I would ship links and text snippets back and forth by pasting them into a terminal that was open on both machines to the same shell. I disabled all chimes and notifications. When the Distraction Laptop's screen-saver was on, it was as if it wasn't there.
With the Distraction Laptop out of commission, I found all my computing tasks once again unceremoniously lumped onto the same screen, and my productivity grinding to a halt. In a pinch, I set up a new account and transplanted the laptop's settings to it. This is the configuration I use for now.
Of course, with both accounts on the same machine, I can only see one at once, and must enter a password to switch between the two, so I'm not as tempted to wander. Furthermore, I don't need to physically contort myself to switch tasks, which, although I didn't mind, was probably bad for ergonomics. My experience with two accounts on the same machine, however, is a bit disorienting. With the laptop, both accounts were me. Consolidated to one machine, I have me and not-exactly-me, which raises some annoying questions. Do I manage two SSH agents? Do I mount the same share twice? Do I try to consolidate these? What about settings? Getting the two accounts to speak with each other, a no-brainer with two machines, is suddenly riddled with uncertainties. I may well revert to my original configuration soon, or try something else entirely.
The staunch pragmatist in me posited that it was a waste of effort to create and configure a separate account for the purposes, especially with the aforementioned shortcomings. Why not, instead, just relegate the distraction-causing programs to a separate virtual desktop?
The simple answer is that it isn't enough. Chatty software can still reach me through the dock, taskbar or with a dialogue box. This is exacerbated by the fact that a mere keypress gives me instant access to these tantalizing time-suckers. Moreover, I still use common tools, such as a browser, to do actual work.
Like many divergent design requirements, my desires for uninterrupted concentration and the ability to monitor my daily trivia are not completely orthogonal. When I am working, there are a choice few events important enough to usurp my attention, despite that number approaching zero. Moreover, I will want to send messages, as well as import and consolidate salient information from messages I receive.
What I want is to prevent all software from stealing focus, making noise, causing strobing visuals or really generating any notifications whatsoever, without my express permission. The manner in which I do want to be notified is in a way that is commensurate with how important I feel it is. I also want to take action items out of the monsoon of network-originated events and bring them with me into my serene bubble of productivity, where I can work on them in peace.
Despite this rigmarole, there is a constant. Without clear objectives, effective methods for achieving them and the necessary space, tools, information and resources, even the most elaborate technical solution is toothless. Without a solid work plan and a realistic means of carrying it out, we will procrastinate and go looking for distractions. Clarity and discipline are perhaps the best productivity tools of all.