How to get into the zone when you are feeling overwhelmed and distracted?

There are times when we are in the zone, working on things that need to be done.

And then, many times, we are out of the zone, overthinking, overwhelmed, distracted, and stressed.

What can we do to shift from a distracted state of mind to one where we can get something done or at least something started?

Here are a few things that might help (I have mentioned tools I use on iPhone & MacBook. Similar or better tools may be available for other platforms):

1. Put on noise-cancelling earphones with focus/relax music from brain.fm or Endel app.
2. Turn on Grayscale (Color filters) on the phone and computer.
3. Turn off the lights. A dark room helps in focusing on the task at hand.
4. Use social pressure. Groove app can help.
5. Put a timer on the Forest app.
6. Start a freedom.to session where everything is blocked except 2-3 apps that I use for work.
7. Write down everything on my mind in a Dropbox Paper or Basecamp document and sort things out in order of priority/urgency.
8. Make a list of things in order of execution. Focus on one thing at a time for at least 20 minutes.

Do share what works for you.