You may think that you “work best under a deadline,” but there is actually a negative correlation between time pressure and creativity.
This video illustrates it beautifully!
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Just a little more time makes a big difference when it comes to creativity.
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I hear all sorts of reasons for not pursuing grant opportunities. To be fair, they are very real for the person making the excuse at the time, and grant writing is not easy. If it were, everyone would do it. It’s difficult and time consuming. There are some good reasons for not writing a grant, including a mis-match between your organization’s mission and the purpose of the grant program, changing organizational priorities, and the implementation of a well-developed fund development plan that calls for a focus on other sources of income. However, most of the reasons I hear are not the good ones. Here are the worst reasons for not writing a grant that I hear most:
Yes, there are some good reasons for not pursing some grant opportunities, but none of these fall into that category. Get your priorities straight and focus on overcoming the barriers that prevent you from bringing n the resources your clients deserve.
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Learn about the benefits of membership at GrantGoddess.com.
I hear all sorts of reasons for not pursuing grant opportunities. To be fair, they are very real for the person making the excuse at the time, and grant writing is not easy. If it were, everyone would do it. It’s difficult and time consuming. There are some good reasons for not writing a grant, including a mis-match between your organization’s mission and the purpose of the grant program, changing organizational priorities, and the implementation of a well-developed fund development plan that calls for a focus on other sources of income. However, most of the reasons I hear are not the good ones. Here are the worst reasons for not writing a grant that I hear most:
Yes, there are some good reasons for not pursing some grant opportunities, but none of these fall into that category. Get your priorities straight and focus on overcoming the barriers that prevent you from bringing n the resources your clients deserve.
————————————————
Learn about the benefits of membership at GrantGoddess.com.
Time seems to fly by at a faster speed every year, particularly during the busy grant season when it is easy to get overwhelmed with grant projects and all the other things that can’t be put on the back burner while the applications are being completed. Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, shares her thoughts on this phenomenon of the inetrsection between grant writing and the space/time continuum:
I’ve heard that time expands when you need it and contracts when you don’t. Is that a factor in the space/time continuum? Well, I don’t know for sure if it is a factor but I do know that the earth is slowing down and that soon we will not be dealing with gravity at all (which will be a blessing for all the parts of my body that have not already succumbed to the forces of gravity). How do you know that this is true, you ask? Every Monday, my colleague and I have the same conversation, “Blog posts go up today,” and I reply “Right!” Seems simple but Monday comes amazingly fast. I blink and I hear the words again, “Blog posts go up today.” “Right!” So, you see, it’s basic physics (thanks to Eric Maisel for pointing this out to me) – as you approach the speed of light, time slows down. Since it seems that I am traveling at the speed of light, would that mean that I am not getting older or that the earth is getting ready to stop rotating?
Why do you think artists dream of spending a couple of months painting in Fiji or a month or two writing in Paris? I am sure they dream of spending time in those places because they see themselves experiencing time differently there; they envision “beach time” or “café time.” They see themselves not in a rush with no one asking them to do “this” or “that” or judging them for taking all day to stare at the ocean or drink an espresso. The calm pace provides a space for observation, reflection, and allows creativity to walk in the door.
In our real lives, we spend our whole day rushing from one thing to the next until all we have left is 15 minutes before going to bed – just enough time to feel badly about all the things we did not get accomplished. Today, even when we are sitting, we are speeding. We are looking for our next cell-phone call, texting, reading and responding to emails, updating Facebook, writing proposals, blogs and copy, rushing from one task to another… overwhelmed as we valiantly attempt to tackle each item on our agenda. Sometimes I feel the strains of exhaustion early in the day and question my ability to effectively address all my tasks.
Eric Maisel in A Writer’s Space talks to us about how to get into the right “space” to write, how to orient and organize our neurons to help us get a grip on our writing lives. In lesson 19, he provides an exercise on creating space to write through mindful self-reflection. Here are the 4 steps: 1) Grow quiet (this is when I turn off the email alerts, silence my cell phone, close my door and breathe); 2) Reflect (I consider what I need and how I will accomplish these needs); 3) Stay calm (I breathe, relax into what I want to accomplish and set my intent); and 5) Take action (I consider the length and nature of my to-do list and edit my agenda including setting reasonable expectations. Time does expand when I choose to experience time differently.
Related posts:
Time Management Tips for Grant Writers
Facing the Blank Page (Or, Beginning to Write)
Good Grant Writers Are Like Wedding Planners
Making Time for Grant Writing by Focusing on the Dream
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Visit GrantGoddess.com for more tips and ideas!
Time seems to fly by at a faster speed every year, particularly during the busy grant season when it is easy to get overwhelmed with grant projects and all the other things that can’t be put on the back burner while the applications are being completed. Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, shares her thoughts on this phenomenon of the inetrsection between grant writing and the space/time continuum:
I’ve heard that time expands when you need it and contracts when you don’t. Is that a factor in the space/time continuum? Well, I don’t know for sure if it is a factor but I do know that the earth is slowing down and that soon we will not be dealing with gravity at all (which will be a blessing for all the parts of my body that have not already succumbed to the forces of gravity). How do you know that this is true, you ask? Every Monday, my colleague and I have the same conversation, “Blog posts go up today,” and I reply “Right!” Seems simple but Monday comes amazingly fast. I blink and I hear the words again, “Blog posts go up today.” “Right!” So, you see, it’s basic physics (thanks to Eric Maisel for pointing this out to me) – as you approach the speed of light, time slows down. Since it seems that I am traveling at the speed of light, would that mean that I am not getting older or that the earth is getting ready to stop rotating?
Why do you think artists dream of spending a couple of months painting in Fiji or a month or two writing in Paris? I am sure they dream of spending time in those places because they see themselves experiencing time differently there; they envision “beach time” or “café time.” They see themselves not in a rush with no one asking them to do “this” or “that” or judging them for taking all day to stare at the ocean or drink an espresso. The calm pace provides a space for observation, reflection, and allows creativity to walk in the door.
In our real lives, we spend our whole day rushing from one thing to the next until all we have left is 15 minutes before going to bed – just enough time to feel badly about all the things we did not get accomplished. Today, even when we are sitting, we are speeding. We are looking for our next cell-phone call, texting, reading and responding to emails, updating Facebook, writing proposals, blogs and copy, rushing from one task to another… overwhelmed as we valiantly attempt to tackle each item on our agenda. Sometimes I feel the strains of exhaustion early in the day and question my ability to effectively address all my tasks.
Eric Maisel in A Writer’s Space talks to us about how to get into the right “space” to write, how to orient and organize our neurons to help us get a grip on our writing lives. In lesson 19, he provides an exercise on creating space to write through mindful self-reflection. Here are the 4 steps: 1) Grow quiet (this is when I turn off the email alerts, silence my cell phone, close my door and breathe); 2) Reflect (I consider what I need and how I will accomplish these needs); 3) Stay calm (I breathe, relax into what I want to accomplish and set my intent); and 5) Take action (I consider the length and nature of my to-do list and edit my agenda including setting reasonable expectations. Time does expand when I choose to experience time differently.
Related posts:
Time Management Tips for Grant Writers
Facing the Blank Page (Or, Beginning to Write)
Good Grant Writers Are Like Wedding Planners
Making Time for Grant Writing by Focusing on the Dream
—————————
Visit GrantGoddess.com for more tips and ideas!
I’m thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy today, and how our lives are so much different – and better – because of his courage and his focus on his dream. While there are many lessons we can all learn from his life, there is one that relates to grant writing that is on my mind today – finding the time.
I hear it from people all the time: “I’m just too busy for grant writing.” “I’m too busy doing my job to even think about going for money to give me even more work.” “There simply isn’t enough time.”
The next time you find yourself saying that you don’t have the time for grant writing, I’d like you to take a few minutes to stop and think about the children who attend your school or the people served by your non-profit organization. Visualize how their lives are now. Then visualize how their lives would be different if the innovative programs you have been dreaming about were a reality. See the present. See the possibility.
Now understand that YOU are the bridge between those two realities. You CAN find the time to make the dream real.
If MLK Jr’s legacy means anything to you, use it inspire you to do what he did – don’t let a little personal inconvenience stop you from making a difference for others.
You CAN find the time.
I’m thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy today, and how our lives are so much different – and better – because of his courage and his focus on his dream. While there are many lessons we can all learn from his life, there is one that relates to grant writing that is on my mind today – finding the time.
I hear it from people all the time: “I’m just too busy for grant writing.” “I’m too busy doing my job to even think about going for money to give me even more work.” “There simply isn’t enough time.”
The next time you find yourself saying that you don’t have the time for grant writing, I’d like you to take a few minutes to stop and think about the children who attend your school or the people served by your non-profit organization. Visualize how their lives are now. Then visualize how their lives would be different if the innovative programs you have been dreaming about were a reality. See the present. See the possibility.
Now understand that YOU are the bridge between those two realities. You CAN find the time to make the dream real.
If MLK Jr’s legacy means anything to you, use it inspire you to do what he did – don’t let a little personal inconvenience stop you from making a difference for others.
You CAN find the time.
Yes, I call them commitments, rather than resolutions. There’s something more permanent about a commitment. If you keep your commitments to yourself the way you should be keeping them with others, they will last long beyond January. They will become part of you.
Here are several ideas for commitments for the new year to fire up your grant writing:
1) Make time for grant seeking. Grant seeking takes more time than you think, especially if you do it right. Doing a quick search at grants.gov or The Foundation Center is good (although that takes time, too), but the payoff really comes when you take the time to dig deeper. We have written a FREE white paper on grant seeking and grant research. Send a message if you’d like to see it. In any event, schedule some time at least several days a week to work on grant seeking.
2) Plan ahead for what you need. Take a look at your strategic plan and your organization’s needs and make some decisions about what you need and the next steps for you. That will help target your search. You’ll also need to gather organizational data. Start now. Of course, what you’ll really need is time. Schedule it. Yes, put it in your calendar. Time to look for grants. Time to write.
3) Give yourself time to write. If you’re working a full-time job, time is what you have the least of. You’re busy doing your job. However, if you don’t make time to write, you’ll never get the success you want. Schedule the time. Close your door. Don’t take any calls. Make it a priority.
4) Make the time to learn more about the art and the craft of grant writing. Read some books about grant writing (check out the sidebar for some of my suggestions). Become a member of grantgoddess.com and take advantage of the many learning resources there. I don’t care how good you are or how successful you have been, the only way to get even better is to keep learning.
5) Go the extra mile. When you’re working on a deadline, there’s the tendency to take short cuts here and there. You skip an explanation or two. You don’t take the time to make that extra chart or graph. You get by with one less revision. Unfortunately, in grant writing, that’s a recipe for failure. This year, commit to yourself to go the extra mile with each and every project. Treat each one like your livelihood depends on it (because it just might!).
Yes, I call them commitments, rather than resolutions. There’s something more permanent about a commitment. If you keep your commitments to yourself the way you should be keeping them with others, they will last long beyond January. They will become part of you.
Here are several ideas for commitments for the new year to fire up your grant writing:
1) Make time for grant seeking. Grant seeking takes more time than you think, especially if you do it right. Doing a quick search at grants.gov or The Foundation Center is good (although that takes time, too), but the payoff really comes when you take the time to dig deeper. We have written a FREE white paper on grant seeking and grant research. Send a message if you’d like to see it. In any event, schedule some time at least several days a week to work on grant seeking.
2) Plan ahead for what you need. Take a look at your strategic plan and your organization’s needs and make some decisions about what you need and the next steps for you. That will help target your search. You’ll also need to gather organizational data. Start now. Of course, what you’ll really need is time. Schedule it. Yes, put it in your calendar. Time to look for grants. Time to write.
3) Give yourself time to write. If you’re working a full-time job, time is what you have the least of. You’re busy doing your job. However, if you don’t make time to write, you’ll never get the success you want. Schedule the time. Close your door. Don’t take any calls. Make it a priority.
4) Make the time to learn more about the art and the craft of grant writing. Read some books about grant writing (check out the sidebar for some of my suggestions). Become a member of grantgoddess.com and take advantage of the many learning resources there. I don’t care how good you are or how successful you have been, the only way to get even better is to keep learning.
5) Go the extra mile. When you’re working on a deadline, there’s the tendency to take short cuts here and there. You skip an explanation or two. You don’t take the time to make that extra chart or graph. You get by with one less revision. Unfortunately, in grant writing, that’s a recipe for failure. This year, commit to yourself to go the extra mile with each and every project. Treat each one like your livelihood depends on it (because it just might!).