How to Lead in a World of Distraction: Four Simple Habits for Turning Down the Noise

by Clay Scroggins

How to replace inner chaos with an emotional awareness that will maximize your influence and result in a calmer, less stressful, and more fulfilling life.

While many leaders train themselves on how to tune-out external distractions that keep them from being productive, they remain deaf to the inner desires and emotions churning beneath the surface. Pastor and author Clay Scroggins describes spiritual disciplines and tangible daily steps to help you incorporate four noise-cancelling habits into your daily

Finding simplicity – how does simplicity bring clarity?Speaking to yourself – you're not crazy. Many of us do it; and there are real benefits!Getting quiet – silence is difficult. Why emotionally healthy leaders make time for it.Pressing pause – what does the word sabbath even mean, and why is it so important--on both a practical and a spiritual level?By embracing these habits--business, church, and ministry leaders will be able to identify and understand their emotions and develop a calm and effective leadership style.

In this follow up to his bestselling book, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge, Clay Scroggins focuses on the real dangers of distraction and how to create space for personal evaluation and exploration.

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"This book is such a valuable resource - not just for leaders but for anyone longing to make a difference in the world." (Dave Ramsey)

"Clay helps you move beyond the distractions to a moment-by-moment awareness that will help you regulate the way you think, act, and feel." (Ian Morgan Cron)

"In this book Clay provides leaders with practical ways to turn down the noise personally and organizationally." (Andy Stanley)

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Business, Personal Development, Self Help, Christian, Psychology

Audible Audio

Published September 24, 2019

About the author

Clay Scroggins is lead pastor of North Point Community Church (NPCC), where he provides visionary and directional leadership for the local church staff and congregation in Alpharetta, Georgia. As the original and largest campus of North Point Ministries, ranked by Outreach Magazine in 2014 as the largest church in America, NPCC averages over 12,000 people in attendance.

Clay works for Andy Stanley (“one of the greatest leaders on the planet” according to Clay) and understands firsthand how to manage the tension of leading when you’re not in charge. Starting out as a facilities intern (a.k.a. “vice president of nothing”), Clay worked his way through many organizational levels at North Point Ministries and knows all too well the challenge of authority deprivation.

Clay holds a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. During his years at Georgia Tech, he volunteered with the high school ministry at NPCC and discovered a passion to help students find a faith of their own. Also during that season, Clay attended a Bible study led by Louie Giglio, and a relationship developed that allowed Clay to be involved with Passion Conferences. At Dallas Theological Seminary, Clay earned a master’s degree as well as a doctorate with an emphasis in online church.

Reviews

[Amy Bruestle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through a giveaway in exchange for an honest review...

5 dang stars!!!!!!! I really enjoyed this book! The author is witty and fun, while still full of information to give! I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book, as lately, self help style books haven’t been very good. Man was I wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I even found myself laughing from time to time. The author has a great sense of humor, and writes in an extremely relatable manner.

I found that I agreed with everything in this book! It really made me stop to think about how much I am distracted on a day to day basis, and what those distractions are. It was interesting to be aware of some of that, as it becomes almost subconscious.

I especially liked the part of the book about white noise. I have always needed white noise to sleep as well. I also feel more comfortable during the day when there is some form of white noise. It was interesting to see he mentioned “brown noise”, which I had never heard of prior to reading this book. I still want to look it up and get a better understanding.

I love the way the author feels so human. He is so relatable. I was pleasantly surprised by how well thought out and interesting this book was. It kept my attention until the very end!......IN OTHER WORDS, I WASN’T DISTRACTED!! LOL 😂

P.S. I wouldn’t want to listen to frogs in order to fall asleep, either! Lol.

[Sunshine Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clay Scroggins is a new author to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it's a great read for this time right now. Scroggins encourages the reader to turn down the noise in their lives and to start to listen to their hearts, their emotions and to prioritize what is really important. I am a low-tech person. I am not "plugged into" a phone all the time or watching screens constantly. But Scroggins suggests there can be other distractions in my life and I have to identify what that is and how I can lower the volume of the things that pull at my attention and divert my focus. Some examples he gives is: Work, exercise, shopping, eating, etc. Anything taken too extreme or out of proportion is what this author wants me to examine. I loved Chapter 3 which talks about: the allure of progress, the attraction of certainty and the appearance of success. On page 94, Scroggins gives a full chart of human emotions as to help the reader deal with their emotional health. This Author talks about how to clear the clutter, create simplicity and embracing rest whether it be in the habit of obeying the Sabbath or a lifestyle of fasting. One of my favorite parts of this book is his use of Pop Culture references like citing a joke from Brian Regan, an episode from Seinfeld and a scene from the movie, Anchorman. This was an entertaining and informative book and I recommend it!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely something I have been needing to work on. Turning down the distractions in my life. Slowing down and taking the time to just enjoy the silence. With a 6, 4, and 1.5 year old, silence is not common. But when I do have silence, do I use that time in the right way. Do I sit down and pull out my phone or do I just sit and turn my thoughts toward God? Do I read my Bible in a quiet place, or do I try to read it when the kids are running around the house?

The white noise of life can be draining. I am trying to learn to embrace the quiet and put away the distractions.

[Susan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s definitely not what I thought it was going to be!
It’s about how we use distractions and “white noise” in our lives to drown out what we don’t want to address inside us…
Ouch - guilty

Staying busy with external things and full schedules and not getting still and quiet enough to deal with emotions, hurts, and internal motivations.

Life isn’t about getting through it - it’s about living it.
I’m challenging myself to press the pause button on all the noise more.

Great read.

[Steven Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous book at a great time for me. Reducing distractions is an important topic at the beginning of the year.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explains the importance of improving our emotional health in order to grow in our influence and leadership with others. We can only lead others as well as we are leading ourselves. Clay's practical tips (with intermittent humor) include finding what's important to you, regulating what goes in and out of your head, finding silence and solitude, and creating an ongoing sabbatical rhythm in your life. I found myself highlighting multiple things in each chapter and will definitely be referring back to this book to remind myself of Clay's experience and advice.

[Lance Willett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four habits to turn down the noise and be more effective.

1. Find simplicity
2. Speak to yourself
3. Get quiet
4. Press pause

Loved the exhaustive “emotional vocabulary" map he mentioned to develop self-awareness — emotional intelligence. Source: https://tomdrummond.com/leading-and-c...

[Leslie Gornig · Rating 4 out of 5]

In How to Lead in a World of Distraction, the author and lead pastor of Buckhead Church, Clay Scroggins, provides insights and inspiration on how to maximize your influence by turning down the noise. This is a follow-up to his bestseller, How to Lead When You are Not in Charge. This book is intended to be a guide on being aware of and then turning down the distractions in your life. It is about managing yourself because you are the only one can identify the distractions in your life and whate they are costing you and then do something about them. The book offers practical noise-cancelling habits that can be incorporated into your daily life and by doing so you will improve your own emotional health and be a better leader. The author offers lots of do's and don't based on his on his own personal experience.

A favorite quote "The real danger of living in a world of constant distractions is not the distractions themselves. It is the things we use to block them out – because our attempts to mask and hide can keep us from knowing who we really are."

I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy of the book. It will be released on September 24. The author is offering some freebies for people who pre-order it. Details available HowToLeadOnline.com

[Courtney Pantone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway which was amazing, thank you to the publisher!
It’s funny because sometimes I put books like this on my list and never get around to it / find different books but I’m glad that I was sent this one and it kind of relates to the book in a way when he talks about slowing down.
I thought the book was really helpful, simple to understand, I liked the lay out of kind of step by step ordeal that is easy to follow and practice. I saw reviews people did not like how he is somewhat causal in his writing but I enjoyed it. It felt like we were having a conversation, not getting a sermon on how to be better. I also think that people not in leadership positions can be helped from this book, anyone really! I’m a nurse and I still found this book helpful and not hyperfocused on leadership depending what “leadership” means to you. I recommend this book for people trying to self improve!
I’m not truly religious, he mentioned god a handful of times more towards the end (he’s a pastor) but didn’t feel that he was pushy with it. In the ending he brought it up more but if you aren’t religious or are not Christian you can just throw in what you believe or don’t believe in 🤷🏻‍♀️
So glad I got to read this book!

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a Good Reads giveaway. Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an opportunity to read and review this book.

The older I get, the more interested I am in leadership. I've learned that just because someone is in a leadership position, it doesn't mean they can lead. I've seen highly productive employees who lack leadership skills and ability be put into leadership positions, with disastrous results for all the team members. Charisma is not leadership. Brilliance is not leadership. Passion is not leadership.

While I think the author of this book addresses important topics, I didn't care for his casual, folksy writing style. Perhaps it's because he's a minister, and he's using his pulpit style of speech in which to write. If you're someone who responds well to a casual,folksy way of writing with pop cultural and Biblical references mixed in, this may appeal to you.

I will continue looking for leadership books that speak to me, as much as Stephen Covey did in the 1980s and Brene Brown does now. Yes, I am aware of Simon Sinek. He's on my "to read" list.

[Jeffrey LOy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tremendous book which I highly recommend every leader and maybe even every person to read. This book gives incredible advice on you and me can create a better you and me including focusing on our emotions, simplifying life, and focusing on the why(long-term success is critical even if it means failure in the short-run).

Some quotes:
"A life of distraction is a shallow life, a life lived without self-awareness. It's a life lived in constant anticipation of the next thing that will keep you from slowing down to listen to what's happening within."

"The answer is to turn down the noise. You cannot be emotionally oblivious and emotional healthy at the same time. Emotional health begins with becoming emotionally aware, and this requires listening to what's happening on the inside."

"The greatest danger of being controlled by negative emotions is that you're missing out on allowing God - who incidentally created all emotions - to have control"

[Christopher Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a REALLY solid book. Clay leads from his own personal experiences and it makes for a very easy read. The strongest part of the book is his insights into how distracted we can be and the fallout it can cause. His personal stories make him seem really down to earth. The weakest part was the application at the end. The steps are simple and maybe that's the idea, but it also left me feeling a little uninspired (maybe this will prove to be false after I put some of these ideas into practice). I think this book is a great place to start if you want to be a less distracted leader (or human in general). I gave the book 3/5 because I recently read Deep Work and Digitally Minimal by Cal Newport which were very systematic approaches to the same subject. That's not to say Clay's book isn't worth your time by any means. Just different approaches.

[Troy Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clay’s book How to Lead in a World of Distraction has a modern approach to the distractions that plague our leadership. Clay’s own voice comes through loud and clear sharing his passion to see current day leaders pay closer attention to what they allow to consume their time. The wisdom from Clay’s thoughts are often only lessons learned by experience and this book offers insights for leaders to adopt earlier in their growth. His four main habits of simplicity, speaking to yourself, getting quiet, and pressing pause are overlooked by todays leaders as they allow their leadership to be attacked by the distraction’s leaders are not attending to. Yes, as leaders we must be emotionally healthy enough to “turn down the noise low enough and long enough to allow space for curiosity.” - Dr. Troy Robertson, Leadership Coach

[Lino Verde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated that the author talked about the "inner voice" as a distraction for the external behaviors.

1. The opportunity cost of distraction is losing traction. When you are distracted, you are not moving forwards with truly important projects in your work and in your personal life.
2. You have “white noises” in different forms (i.e. checking social media, snacking, etc.) when you do not want to face your internal uncomfortable voice. You are using those “white noise” to disguise you from the important feelings that you should work out.
3. The other form of distraction is absolute certainty. People get distracted when they are in the situation of uncertainty. People do not take actions when things are uncertain.
4. Do not let your inner distraction (i.e. feelings) affect your external actions (i.e. efforts put onto real work).

[Ben Flaming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and applicable. Clay hits on struggles we all face, whether we're leading a team or simply ourselves.

"The practice of silence and solitude isn't something you do every quarter--it's something you do every week, even every day. In reality, getting away happens on a much smaller scale. Getting away doesn't happen by traveling. Instead, it happens by finding a place you can retreat to every day."
•••
"Your place doesn't have to be anything special. It doesn't need to have soundproof walls. It doesn't need to be a secret location that only you know. It just has to be a place dedicated to noise-free reflection. It has to be a place where you've decided that the distractions of the world can't touch you. And it has to be a place where you return to regularly."

[Katie Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite book. Clay Scroggins seems to be unaware that different personalities exist besides his own. He doesn't seem to realize that introverts exist and many of his illustrations are geared more to sports fans and no one else. His advice is similar to the things so many deeper people have said. It didn't feel like he referenced or quoted nearly enough because none of his ideas are original. He, at times, felt extremely tone deaf to conversations.

The only reason that I'm giving this book 2 stars instead of 1 is that it can help provide language for people who are unfamiliar with introspection, and I can see how the book could help extroverts.

[Henry Haney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book on Andy Stanley’s recommended book list and decided to give it a shot. It’s a good read. Clay Scroggins does a wonderful job at calling out the main distractions that our culture throws at us. He also shares wisdom on how to live in such a way that we can resist the power of these distractions and grow as people and as leaders through self-awareness.

It’s hard to not compare this book to The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. They cover much of the same material but with some slightly different approaches. I found Comer’s book to be the stronger of the two but I definitely recommend reading both.

[Emil Bredahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really was not sure about this book as I started, but "WOW" it rocked my boat. SO many great testimonies that were real and raw. I loved the focus of the book and the language that it was written in. Life is filled with so many distractions, and that is why we need a book life that, which brings us in the right direction and brings light to areas of our life that often is very dark. WOW this book was good and can strongly recommend this book to anyone that wants to redirect back to the calling that they were created to fulfil. AMAZING book that I must read again soon

[John Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Scroggins, "How to Lead When You're Not in Charge." I decided to pick this title up and see what he had to say about leadership and distractions. Much of what he wrote here includes things I already do in my own life. He offers four habits for leaders to help avoid distraction (each habit is covered in successive chapters later in the book). It was a good read, but not as good as his other book. And I have a couple of other favorites when it comes to distractions and leadership disciplines that are my go-tos. This book just provided some supplement to those.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much noise around us, some we cause while others are untended but often this steals our attention from what matters the most. Clay Scroggins addresses the issue that we try to avoid, that of being alone with our thoughts. We are so scared of quiet and what might come up that we find ways to fill that void. Silence can be beneficial and can help us stay focused. In this book Scroggins addresses our need for tuning out unnecessary noise so we can focus on what matters the most. Very enjoyable and thought provoking read.

[Sara Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I received my book I was expecting it to be good. Once I started reading it , it was completely different than what I expected, but it was truly brilliant!! This book was intriguing, informative , and captured my attention and held onto it continuously through the book!! There was great points in this book that I never thought of, and some that I have! I think this a great book for someone leading major business or someone just leading themselves! Great read! Awesome job Clay!!

[Will Norrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author admits there are no new ideas here, and then he proves it. The content was good, but nothing seemed fresh or groundbreaking. It seemed very repetitive. So many lists and I am still not sure what the takeaway was. I thought there was good content, but not much stuck beyond the initial reading.
I listened to the audiobook, and I felt like the author’s voice rose and fell in a distracting way.
I wanted to like it, but I would not recommend.

[Carter Hemphill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candid, honest and useful, this book provides good advice in cultivating a life that can minimize the distractions and noise we face every day. The last few chapters offer practical advice for anyone, not just leaders. More than just a book about cell phone and technological distractions, it is an exploration into self-analysis of the internal and external noise and how it impacts your emotions.

[Anna J Chavez · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this book 0 stars I would. The lack of substance and reliance on fear-mongering perfectly exemplifies the danger of corporate Christianity in the US. 200 pages of cyclical arguments, shockingly poor sources, and cringy writing should have been confined to an op-ed. If you want to be a leader in any official capacity then listen to the people that you’re leading, and whatever you do don’t listen to this.

[Aaron Hixson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical clay - easy reading, full of insights.

I need more of this. Combined with a few other books I’ve read these year... I’m definitely feeling the need for quiet.

The main sentence of turning down the noise and understanding your own emotions is great and worth recalling. I just can’t currently. Haha

[Tom Roepke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good stuff here. But the best in my mind is Clay’s take on the practice of sabbath. Not just Seventh day rest thing, but a practice even within the work day...to help find a rhythm that will work against the distractions the suck our energy.

[Matthew Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! There is so much to unpack that as I have rad though it once to glean I am now going back through this book to mine for the gold! This book is one of the most influential in my life this year, I think my life! Wish I had this book 10 years ago! Pick up your copy ASAP!!

[Cheryl Bonner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave some good insight on how to filter out the distractions, found your inner peace, know how to handle, filter out, and prioritize life's distractions. Distractions are a part of life, how you handle them for your peace, focus, and well-being is up to you.

[Lynsey Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is practical, insightful, and a fantastic resource for leaders who ever feel the tension of distractions in their personal and professional lives. I have several action items to implement after reading this book and I believe I’ll be better for them! Highly recommend!

[Matt Wester · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a very crowded market, Clay Scroggins writes another leadership book that stands out from the crowd. How to Lead in a World of Distraction is timely, helpful, and oh so accurate. I will definitely be rereading and gifting a couple of extra copies of this book.