Maybe music will help

In the Lifehacker.com article I mentioned yesterday, Clay Johnson talks about using noise-reducing headphones to listen to lyric-free music in order to help him stay focused on his work. It may be possible to achieve even more, just by picking the right music. An article on Discovery Health (helpfully tweeted by @HowStuffWorks, and you should follow them, BTW) gives some excellent information about the link between music and mood. Apparently it's hardwired in our brains, and can be put to good use.