I prefer for my distraction-free writing in Mac OS X; not only does it help me focus and be more productive, it also has a few customizable themes (with more available in a premium version of the software) along with some soft ambient noise tracks to drown out any distracting outside audio.

Last (but certainly not least), Linux users and any Windows or Mac users unsatisfied by other offerings should take a look at the cross-platform , a great little full-screen text editor that supports themes and tabbed document browsing in addition to the usual hidden menus and keyboard shortcuts.

There's no reason to limiting the distraction free philosophy to just your writing tools however. There are also plenty of great tools to eliminate distractions from your PC desktop and stay more productive.

Mac users know that lots of Mac OS apps commandeer the entire screen while running in full-screen mode in the newest iteration of Mac OS, Lion. The support for full-screen apps has made many of the Mac's most popular applications (Final Cut, Photoshop and other video/music/image editors) distraction-proof by default. If you've got Lion installed, make sure check for a new Full-Screen App icon in the upper right corner of your application window. If you can, hit that button to turn your favorite app into a distraction-free zone.