If I were diagnosed as a type, I’d be in the “Type A” category. Taking a break is a hard thing to do sometimes as the clutter of the unfinished work and looming deadlines up in my mind. For me, paying too much attention to those piles can become stifling, even paralyzing.
The piles and the pending can become tyrannical haunts that invade my time away from work when I should be relaxing. They can fly darkly through my dreams and interrupt my activities.
A freelance grant writer lives with uncertainty. There is uncertainty about where the next
client is, whether a grant will be funded, when a client will send that overdue
check I desperately need to deposit.
client is, whether a grant will be funded, when a client will send that overdue
check I desperately need to deposit.
In good times, it’s easier for me to take a break because I’m not so worried about business. In these troubled economic times, my breaks are less carefree. I remind myself that much of what happens in business is beyond my control. I am responsible to do what is sensible, professional, and reasonable.
These days I take shorter breaks like sipping my coffee, or trekking out on my daily walk. Each day as I walk, I remind myself to look upward at the sky, to breathe deeply of the fresh air, and to appreciate my ability and opportunity to walk about freely.
Relaxing on a break requires me to clear away the clutter of the job (and sometimes the news). Perhaps it is surprising that the sidewalk outside my office is not strewn each afternoon with discarded papers, bills, and phone messages.
Other posts you may enjoy:Is Grant Writing Keeping You Up at Night?
Writers Must Know Their Limits
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