For me personally, I only listen to music when doing menial tasks. But if I'm writing code or trying to design my plan of attack, music noticeably hampers my ability to focus and think creatively.

When I want quiet, I try to just use my over-ear headphones without any music. They typically dull surrounding sounds enough for it to be tolerable. But if I'm still having trouble, I use my less comfortable earmuffs[1] to block out almost everything.

[1] - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009LI4K/ref=oh_details_o...