The #1 Threat to Your Grant Success...Procrastination

It always feels ironic when I'm researching procrastination. I ask myself, do I really need to be spending this much time learning about procrastination, or am I just putting off writing my weekly blog? This is part of the haziness around procrastination that makes it so easy to justify. Really, only the procrastinator truly knows that they are procrastinating, and sometimes they're not even sure.

ORDE and other grant experts recommend that grant developers spend at least six months developing a grant application. Yet, when I suggest that to our researchers, I follow-up very quickly saying that if you don't have that much time for whatever reason, you should at least include the important elements on the timeline in a shorter time period before they laugh me off.

According to Psychology Today, approximately 20% of the population are chronic procrastinators. They clarify that although everyone procrastinates at some point on some task, it is the chronic procrastinators that experience more dramatic and ongoing consequences in their lives and work.Chronic procrastinators have a difficult time weighing long-term rewards against immediate gratification. They may also procrastinate due to fear of failure or success.  And, procrastination seems to be a larger and larger problem in the technology age. Canadian Psychologist, Timothy Psychl says that "50% of the time people are online, they are procrastinating." That's a remarkable statistic when you consider how many people are constantly online for work or with their smart phones!

Although I don't have the research to back it up, I would suggest that grant development is a task that is often procrastinated - it somehow takes all of those drivers of procrastination and puts them into one effort - fear of failure, unclear/unsure rewards, and a large amount of time and thought required. So, because we often see our researchers avoid getting started on that next grant, here are some remedies to combat this great enemy - procrastination.

Work with someone: Forming a writing group with other grant-writers/colleagues can keep you on task and give you a group to bounce ideas off of and review your work.

Build a routine: Try setting aside a small amount of time everyday to work on your grant and gradually see if you can increase that amount. Maybe start with 20 min.

Write in the morning: People tend to do their best and most thoughtful work best in the morning, yet many waste that time on less creative/thoughtful work, e.g., checking email.

Write grants or nothing: One extreme solution posed by writer, Gretchen Rubin, is to set aside a large block of time each day where you can either write or do nothing.  She doesn't force herself to write, but she won't let herself do anything else.

Reduce/eliminate distractions: Since email, texting, social media, and the Internet in general are such large distractions for people, try to disconnect for a while or even just silence you phone to try and allow yourself some time to focus.

Many experts compare and link procrastination to other addictions, such as alcoholism or gambling. So, it makes sense that awareness can be the first step for procrastinators, too. Try to recognize when you're procrastinating and identify why. Then you can begin to remedy the situation.

Resources
Articles on procrastination - Psychology Today
Grant Development Timeline - ORDE