Welcome back to Mid-Week Meditations, Lifehacker's weekly dip into the pool of stoic wisdom, and a guide to using its waters to reflect on and improve your life.

.

When I'm working on a project, it usually takes a few minutes for me to get "in the zone" where I'm really focused on what I'm doing. When someone interrupts me, it then takes another few minutes for me to really start working again.

"I'm too busy!" "I don't have enough time!" "If only there were more hours of the day." It's weird how feeling overwhelmed and busy rarely coincides with getting a lot done. Maybe the problem isn't that you don't have enough time. It's that you don't have enough attention.

The human body is marvellous. If you know how to harness its built-in superpowers, you can do so much more than you are right now. Use these small tricks to become a more efficient worker.

There's no denying that the Information Age has been beneficial, making it easy to learn about nearly any topic quickly. However, that information overload comes at a cognitive cost. If you force yourself to process to much information, you can slip into what's known as a "mental fog".

You might call them "distractions". Maybe you call them your "to-do list". Whatever words you use, they're the things that keep pulling you away from what you should be doing right now. These habits require your reaction, and they get in the way of real productivity.

You have no problem keeping busy. No problem crossing things off your to-do list. You multitask like it's going out of style. But the weeks continue to fly by and you can't help but be dissatisfied with what you've actually accomplished. I got sick of this pattern. So I changed it.

I spend most of my day on a computer. When I'm not working I spend my spare time programming or blogging. When I take a break I spend it looking at my phone. One of the problems with all this time spent looking at screens is the amount of digital clutter these habits have created in my life.

Chrome: If you need a little help staying away from distracting web sites when you need to focus, or you want to give your sanity a break and block specific topics, SiteCop can help. Once installed, tell it when and how long to keep you focused, give it web addresses or keywords to block and it will do the rest.

iOS: Self Control made a name for itself for being serious about blocking out distractions -- you couldn't just turn the app off, or reboot your computer, to make it go away. Now, an app inspired by the original has landed on the iPhone, offering a similar no-nonsense approach to keeping you focused on what's important.

Is creativity something people are just born with? For many of us, creative thinking isn't purely intuitive -- it's also plain hard work. As writer Iris Shoor explains, coming up with fresh ideas isn't always a natural gift -- it's a skill that can be learned.

Web: Some people work or study better in silence, and silence drives other people nuts. If you like background noise, Deepfocus helps you mix music with ambient sounds to help you stay focused while you work.

We feel that time is precious, and we shouldn't waste it. We often try and fill the void with carefully-planned tasks. But turning down the volume on life can be extremely beneficial. We fight against boredom, distraction and procrastination all the time, but that doesn't mean you should get rid of them completely.

The Mozart Effect suggests that listening to some types of music can help with certain mental tasks. However, there's a case to be made for working or studying in silence, too. Some research shows that for certain cognitive tasks, you need quiet more than anything.

Contrary to our romanticised notions, writers don't just sit around all day, drink coffee and scotch and wait for inspiration to strike. Like any other job, they have to be disciplined and productive. While that does involve lots of coffee, it also requires hard work. Here's how some famous authors have kept their nose to the grindstone.

Your brain likes to jump from one task to another when things start to get tough. Distractions are easy. If you want to resist losing focus, control the context around where you work. The fewer opportunities to get distracted, the better.

Taking on a big task is like playing an arcade game: it requires all of your focus. As soon as you pause the game and walk away, your chances of earning a high score all but disappear.

When you're staring at your computer screen, wondering why you can't just make yourself do the work you need to do, it's easy to blame your focus. If you're unorganised and don't really have a plan, maybe you have a bigger problem.