It's mostly a matter of getting in the habit of shifting your FD more. If I've shifted my 10 speed rear four gears in the same direction, it's time to shift the front (then go back one in the opposite direction rear, for a smoother jump). Three, on my 8 speed hybrid.

Personally, my drivetrain is pretty noisy (not FD scrape, the chain against the cog teeth) when I'm cross-chained, but that's not necessarily true for everyone's.