Handling Procrastination When Grant Writing

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• When it comes to grant writing, it is fair to say
  that sometimes procrastination sets in.
• There is a myriad of reasons for this, but the
  most common cause is a sense of overwhelm about
  where to start. 
• It might be that there are an extensive number of
  questions, or that the questions require a level
  of detail that you do not have at hand.

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• Whilst there is no one right way to approach
  the task, this article looks at how the following
  tips can simplify the grant writing exercise to
  make some effective inroads to the job at hand
• Assess where the value lies
• Focus on funding objectives
• Visually map the questions
• Create a Time plan
• Capture what you know first
• Enlist help early if needed

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• Assessing the Value
• Many of the more complex grant writing application
  s will provide a table in the grant guidelines
  that outlines the weighting given by assessors
  when reviewing submissions.
• This is the very first thing you should look for
  to determine where you can gain the highest
  scores, and in turn, where to put the most
  effort.
• For example, there is little point putting 80 of
  effort into a section of the application that may
  only be worth 10 of the overall score if there
  are other sections that are 30.

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• Focus on Objectives
• There may or may not be any assessment weightings
  provided to guide your grant writing.
• However, one thing that will always exist are
  funding objectives. They may be called outcomes,
  or focus areas, but essentially, they are the
  reason the funding was created in the first
  place.
• It is vital that your grant writing response can
  show strong tie-ins between these objectives and
  your projects purpose.

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• Make some initial notes about these objectives
  with dot points about how your project links to
  these.
• You will expand on these points later, but the
  purpose of this exercise is to ensure you capture
  the essentials.
• Identify and highlight any information you need
  to seek elsewhere via research, or subject matter
  experts within your organisation.

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• Create a Visual Map
• If you are still finding the grant writing to be
  overwhelming at this point, it can help to create
  a visual map of the questions (such as a mind
  map).
• Doing so will help you think with greater clarity
  and explore relationships between the questions,
  objectives, and your project. It can also help to
  identify subtle nuances between questions which
  seem identical at first glance.
• Take your map a step further by adding quick dot
  points that you can write about to address these
  questions. At this point, you now have a plan for
  how you can approach the whole grant writing
  exercise.

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• Plan Your Time
• Now you have an idea of where you need to focus
  your efforts, as well as how you might answer
  each section, it is valuable to map out a time
  plan.
• Whilst it is not essential, it will keep you on
  track to prevent any last-minute rush as well as
  help to stir you into action.
• Doing this step will also ensure you allocate
  time to any areas that need significant research
  or digging to find the information to support
  your answers.

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• Capture What You Know
• If you have not already captured what you know
  via your visual map, now is a good time to do so.
  
• At the same time, it is good to capture what you
  dont know or need to find out. Create a
  scratchpad version of the application to copy out
  the questions and the information or answers you
  have to address them.
• Once you layout all this information on a
  scratchpad, it can help to identify any gaps
  where further information is needed.

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• Using two different coloured highlighters at this
  point can help one to identify where you need to
  seek help from others and another to identify
  where you need to research online.

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• Enlist Help Early
• It is quite rare that any grant writer acts
  completely on their own. Within the organisation,
  there is a wealth of knowledge and expertise to
  tap into that can assist with creating strong and
  convincing answers.
• However, these people usually have their own time
  pressures and deadlines within their own job
  scope, so it is important that you respect these
  if you seek to enlist their help.
• Ensure you let them know very early in the grant
  writing exercise that you will need information
  or help from these. 

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• Provide as much detail as possible as to the type
  of information needed and seek to agree a
  timeline for when they will have this information
  ready.
• Ensure the agreed delivery time does not fall too
  close to the actual grant submission deadline in
  case you need to seek more detail or do any
  significant presentation or rewrite efforts on
  their contributions.

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• Given procrastination is often linked to a fear
  of failure or a need for perfection, it is
  important that when you do experience it during
  grant writing to find a productive way out.
• The above tips basically all relate to one thing
  breaking it down until you can see a way forward.
  
• Whilst it will not guarantee success or
  perfection, it gets you started on your grant
  writing effectively and sets you up for success
  as you focus on what is most important in the
  application.

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