I'd like to share a little trick I just remembered...

I have this roommate who I generally like, but is capable of driving me completely fucking ape shit, by no fault of his own. Due to his schedule, around this time (6pm - 10pm) he is having friends over, and either laying down a constant stream of house music (which I hate), or in the living room watching some move or TV show. On the other hand, am usually trying (very hard) to work or concentrate on something around the same time. Its just bad timing. No fault of his, no fault of mine.

Most of the time, I really could care less about the noise present around me. I can sleep through just about anything. I can work through much. However, there are times when if a certain type of distraction present, I simply cannot concentrate. Noise and chaos are one thing. Information that jars you from what you are trying to parse or think about is another. Sometimes you need to just block everything else out and focus..

I suggest the pink noise. Loop it. Headphones help. They also keep the rest of your roommates from thinking you are completely nuts. Its only annoying for the first few minutes, then it fades into the background and as far as you are concerned, you are hearing nothing. However, don't overdo the volume or you will fatigue yourself. You want the minimal volume necessary to mask out the noise. If you have to turn it up loud enough where you start to get sound related fatigue, you were probably screwed to begin with.

Audio Test Signals Link - Rattle's Guide to Masking Out Shit