Entries in the Category "write"
Upcoming Holiday
Well, it has just dawned on me that there will be three holidays between now and when this grant application in due on March 5th (actually it is due into our research office for electronic posting about February 22 – which is why I started writing the grant now. I think it takes 3 months to write a good grant – and I am an experienced grant writer.). But, back to the holiday issue – there is no good time to write a grant. It is a problem at the beginning of a semester, the end of a semester, summer, family weddings, vacations, etc. So, I guess winter holidays as a competing activity for my time is as good as any other time of the year. And – let’s face it, when you live in Cleveland, you might as well be writing a grant during the cold, dark days of winter as doing anything else.
I do need a strategy for writing during the holidays, however. I could be guilty of either not working enough on the grant or not spending enough time with the family because of the grant. So, I need a plan for how to get both in. My rough plan for Thanksgiving is to not write on the grant on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but to write at least some of one day of the weekend. That should keep me in the FLOW, but not overtake my holiday. I’ll have to give some thought about how to work with Christmas. (You’ll note I did not say “Christmas break” - as I really don’t take much of a break when I have a grant needing to be done in February).
Anyway, really good news is that my daughter is coming home from college tonight. That is always good family time. I cook for about 25 people on Thanksgiving. Actually, it is a great diversion from the cerebral work of grant writing and I really enjoy it. Now that I think of it, grant writing and preparing Thanksgiving dinner have a lot in common – lots of advance planning and details that have to come together by a deadline.