Noise - by Joseph McCormack (Paperback)

About the Book

"Noise: Living and leading when nobody can focus creates a focused way to lower the static in your personal and professional life. Our brains are bombarded with non-stop noise. In the digital age, we battle weapons of mass distraction every day. Everything is competing for, draining and dividing our attention. It's harder than ever to stay focused. Whether it's smartphones or smartwatches, endless choices online or in stores, pervasive screens or texts and alert notifications screaming for an immediate reply, our attention is constantly being pulled in different directions. Author Joe McCormack provides a powerful approach to tune into what matters and tune down the distractions and disruptions that slow us down. Noise is a sequel to McCormack's award-winning first book Brief: Make a bigger impact by saying less. McCormack's approach is to provide encouraging, practical ways to regain focus at work, school and at home in environments of constant distractions and competing priorities. This engaging, informative book will help you: Recognize how easily your mind is overwhelmed by information and electronic devices Learn powerful life lessons that showcase the risks we face professionally and personally Understand how to strengthen your mind's power to filter out constant distractions Improve the ways people around you can focus when they're mindlessly distracted Access a practical action plan that you can use to defend yourself every day"--

Book Synopsis

Teaches managers and leaders to cut through the static and hone their focusing skills

In the current digital age, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stay focused. Smartphones, tablets, smart watches, and other devices constantly vie for our attention. In both business and life, we are constantly bombarded with tweets, likes, mentions, and a constant stream of information. The inability to pay attention impacts learning, parenting, prioritizing, and leading. Not surprisingly, attention spans have gotten shorter. Already being pulled in a dozen directions every minute, managers and business leaders often struggle to address important issues and focus on everything that needs attention.

Noise: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus teaches managers and leaders how to help themselves and others sharpen their focusing skills. In this follow-up to his first book Brief--the proven, step-by-step approach to clear, concise, and effective communication--author Joseph McCormack helps readers cut through the static and devote their attention to what is important. This engaging, informative book will help you:

• Apply effective, real-world techniques to hone your focus and reduce interference
• Learn the lessons taught to organizations such as Harley-Davidson, BMO Harris Bank, MasterCard, and the US Army
• Understand how modern technology can actually strengthen your focus if used correctly
• Avoid becoming a casualty of "weapons of mass distraction"

Noise: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus is a valuable resource for leaders and managers seeking to develop laser-sharp focus and apply it to everything you do.

From the Back Cover

It's time to manage the noise, or the noise will manage you.

Noisy lives are the new normal. Our days are filled with always-on access to digital devices, boundless data, endless choices, and mindless chatter that erodes our ability to concentrate, think, and create. Information is now more of a threat than a reward.

Attention is becoming our most precious personal resource.

When our brains are filled to overflowing, we mindlessly tune out what really matters. We all risk becoming mentally anemic by digesting empty brain calories all day. We need to develop practical strategies to protect our minds from the barrage and strengthen where, when, and how we focus.

A practical, encouraging plan to defend ourselves every day.

Joseph McCormack has forged some old-school answers to a new-world problem. In this captivating follow-up to his first book, BRIEF: Make a bigger impact by saying less, he explores how the onslaught of information overload and constant connectivity is rewiring our brains for the worse. What's more, he shows leaders, employees, parents, and everyone else how to survive the tsunami of noise, regain our ability to concentrate, and help those around us too.

About the Author

JOSEPH McCORMACK is the founder and managing director of The BRIEF Lab, an organization dedicated to teaching professionals, military leaders, and entrepreneurs how to think and communicate clearly. His clients include Bank of America, Harley-Davidson, Microsoft, Mastercard, eBay, and select military units and government agencies. He publishes a weekly podcast called Just Saying that helps people master the elusive skills of focus and brevity.