I find that me being comfortable (always having a good cup of coffee, good chair, good lighting, clean work surface, good smell in the air) is paramount to how productive I am.
Am I just being a prissy and demanding developer, or do you just have to have that cup of Starbucks (or Tim Horton's!) before you feel that you can be truly productive?
The perfect playlist keeps us all in rhythm.
I play the same playlist every day. I find this helpful to make it more 'background', and I always pick songs that recall a particular 'happy' time.
When the cat's get bored and want to go outside, that's always a sign I should take a walk. When they start to get hungry later in the day it is time to feed them and to check my voice mail. And when I hear my chillout song, "Everloving" by Moby, it's time to close my eyes and just relax until it's over.
Listen to the environment around you.
I have 3 cats, but they have decided that there's only room for 2 of them with me. I never know which 2 I'm going to get on any given day. I have considered renting professional office space, but I've reached the point where I have trouble working without them.
They are magical and mystical beyond anything I've ever written. If I continue to pay attention to them, maybe someday I'll learn something.
Can I do a "git clone" of your cats?
I try to do most of my work while the cat is asleep ;)
Some people could code in a wind tunnel, most people probably can't.
I personally focus better with a comfy chair, a good keyboard, two monitors, tea, headphones (or earplugs), a whiteboard, and enough desk space to lay out notes. Oh, and absolutely good lighting.
That is I find that my most product times during the day are mid mornings and late at evening when trying to write code.
So I try to ensure that this time is free for doing the nitty gritty stuff, and I ensure that I make meetings and whatnot for the afternoon.
Thats just for me personally though, the best way for you to ensure you're productive is just to try different things and figure out what works for you - and then capitalise on it.
Sometimes I try to work from coffee shops or sitting in a bad chair (one of those folding ikea chairs) and it's awful. Can't get ANYTHING done.
In fact, I think my single best purchase for my business was a Herman Miller Mirra chair. Keeps my butt and back happy.
If you're thinking about anything other than your work (like you're cold, hungry, or uncomfortable), then for sure, it's going to impact your productivity.
But sitting in a cafe with good music never hurts :)
(I do wish I had cmos' debugging cat.)