Insights, ideas
and inspiration
To build a life and career
with purpose, on purpose
In addition to coaching, I am also a writer. My articles on personal development, leadership, career management, cultural adapation, and ex- pat life have been published in a number of British, French and European magazines. I also consult and write for corporate communications projects. If you are interested in my work as a writer, please do not hesitate to contact me.
![Dealing with a bad mood](https://joannearchibald.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/a-bad-mood.jpg)
Dealing with a bad mood
Don’t analyse it. When you’re in a great mood, do you roll your sleeves up and get to work figuring out why you’re feeling so chirpy? No. So don’t do it when you’re feeling low! Often it’s simply inexplicable, so trying to identify all the things that are bringing you
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What’s your story? Finding a narrative that serves you
Do you ever feel like your life consists of simply keeping all the plates spinning? I know I do. On good days, I look at all the crockery I’ve got under full rotary control and smile smugly. On other days, it can feel like I’m just barely keeping the plates
![Reclaim your thoughts](https://joannearchibald.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/relationship-to-your-inner-monologue.jpg)
Reclaim your thoughts: changing your relationship to your inner monologue
I have been known to joke that at the ripe old age of 41 I do not feel any different from when I was 21, and in some ways that is true. In others, I am happy to say, it is not: I am definitely more confident and self-possessed now,
![e mail avalanche](https://joannearchibald.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/5a17ef45cd707514e8e57fe7.jpeg)
Managing the email avalanche
1. Make appointments to check email. Trying to keep on top of your emails all day long is a time-suck and the enemy of concentration. Choose your least productive times of day and schedule a meeting with yourself to check and deal with your email (keep high-productivity times for your
![three storm wind](https://joannearchibald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/tree-2216284_1920.jpeg)
Focus on the how: setting New Year’s Intentions
If I read the phrase “these uncertain times” one more time, I will not be held accountable for my actions. It’s flat, hackneyed, over-used – and I’m sure I’m guilty of having written it myself. That said, it is a fairly accurate description of our current situation. While I don’t
![Hurried woman syndrome](https://joannearchibald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Hurried-woman-syndrome-1.jpg)
Slowing the rush
Do less. Overbooking yourself and cramming your schedule is a sure-fire way to become hurried and harried, someone who tap their foot when the checkout moves slowly and beeps their horn if the driver in front doesn’t zoom off the second the light goes green. Intentionally accept fewer activities than
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Avoiding overwhelm over the holidays
Lower your expectations Too often we put so much pressure on ourselves to have (and ensure others have) the perfect Christmas or New Year’s Eve that we end up stressed, frazzled and disappointed. What would it be like actively to set a lower expectation for your family this year? What
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Give the gift of listening this Christmas
It’s that time again, folks: ‘tis the season to be jolly, deck the halls, and sing the 12 days. And while it has become fashionable of late to deride the cheesiness of many Christmas traditions and bemoan its commercialisation, I have to say I love this time of year. Whether
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Making self-care a daily habit
Treat your feet like friends Clearing out shoes that pinch, jab, squeeze and rub is a radical act of self-care because it has an immediate positive impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. As well as eliminating pain, careful shoe selection makes your movements and activities, boosts your energy, and