This is not so simple as noise, no noise. There are many variables at play here: frequency, volume, constancy, and also visual aspects such as the presence of people and light levels, the size of the space and its acoustic characteristics, and the kind of activity you will be doing...
Usually maintaining constant absolute silence is harder because pretty much anything, no matter the volume or frequency, will be quite noticeable. Trying to isolate yourself totally is nigh-impossible, and any minuscule interruption is bound to provoke loss of concentration.
A low-mid frequency, low volume background noise is much more effective, since it can mask most of the accidental sounds, but loud high pitched noises / voices will still be annoying as hell. This can be somewhat mitigated in large places with preferably soft surfaces that diffuse sound (hard surfaces and confined spaces make it cacophonous and annoying). People moving (like in a hallway) can be very visually distracting, so a coffee place or a park where people are more static tends to be ideal (beware birds and girls and ringtones though). A private garden with some trees and a breeze are wonderful too. Alternatively this can be achieved in solitude with mellow instrumental music (
no lyrics) or noise generators and provides excellent concentration for reading. When reading, daylight is always preferable to all sorts of artificial light, but the grayish light on overcast days can be improved with a hint of warm light from a lamp. Fluorescent is
horrible for reading. Clouds or moving leaves that make the light levels vary can also be very distracting...
High-volume music with lots of repetition / constant rhythm can also be quite helpful to concentration, like some varieties of rock, or trance. This is most useful late at night (for some reason electronic music always seems
wrong during the day) and mostly in doing creative endeavors like drawing, programming, etc (
not reading). Headphones are good for privacy. Lyrics are good and can even provide inspiration and keep one from falling asleep. After one gets in the zone you really stop noticing the music at all, even if it is very loud. Dim, warm ambient light, with a bright, white task light seems optimal in this case. The ambient light is essential, else the darkness makes too much contrast with the task light and can make for a very drab atmosphere, same with over-lit rooms that can make one very uncomfortable. At all costs avoid the use of a single, center-of-the-room overhead light, it casts depressive shadows and always fails to illuminate adequately... a variety of small peripheral lighting is more even and pleasant.
Of course one can always procrastinate, even in the most ideal of atmospheres...
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