On distraction-free writing environments

Does an environment free of distractions help writers achieve their best creative potential? Perhaps the right elixir is required, a good glass of wine, or a perfect cappaccino from Blue Bottle cafe? Some software designers would have you believe that their products hold the key to unleashing your talent.

I can’t decide which of these is best.

Writer for iPad

Information Architects:

The key to good writing is not that magical glass of Bordeaux, the right kind of tobacco or that groovy background music. The key is focus. What you need to write well is a spartan setting that allows you to fully concentrate on your text and nothing but your text.

‘ū—’: A Distraction-Free Writing Environment

Merlin Mann:

While some so-called environments that are less free of distraction may display one, three, or even more lines of text — all at the same time — we understand that if you could only achieve the theoretical removal of all theoretical distractions, you would finally be able to write something. And we want ‘ū—’ to help you almost do that