A Guest Post by Betsy Baker of Your Grant Authority and a Guest Expert in the “Writing for Nonprofits” Coaching Program

When I was working full time for my nonprofit employer, I was married but didn’t have children. When my husband and I decided that our house was just a little too quiet (oh, what a rude awakening we were in for!), we decided that it would be great for me to stay at home with the baby but that I’d still need to contribute financially. I would be able to do this because I had a lot of experience as a grant writer and was already getting asked to do grant writing jobs on the side. I was hot!

I’d just stay at home and become a grant writing consultant. I had visions of putting the baby to bed, quietly getting my grant writing work completed along with a couple of loads of laundry, and then starting dinner with baby by my side. I don’t believe that once in the nine years that I have stayed at home has that happened.

First of all, it took Baby a little longer to arrive than expected – approximately seven years. I had quit full time in anticipation of getting pregnant which actually prepared me to get into a routine of consulting that worked for me and my husband. While dinner wasn’t served every night, for the most part the house was reasonably clean, there were clean clothes and there was always food in the refrigerator (or freezer – as in frozen dinner.) For some reason, Baby didn’t understand my routine once he got here. Sure, Baby slept. But I did too when he did. I was exhausted.

I’m proud to say that at age three, my not-so-Baby anymore, Rhodes and I have finally worked it out. Like any working mother, it has been trial and error to find what works for us. What I finally decided was maybe I could do half and half. He now has care 2 ½ days a week while I work and I get him the other 2 ½ to play. I love it and I think he’s no worse for the wear.

So, back to my original question, my answer is simple: the benefits outweigh any challenges I might face. This is what I dreamed of when I was working toward becoming a consultant and I haven’t been disappointed yet:

Being my own boss – Who has not dreamed of this? You know your worth to an organization better than anyone and it can be frustrating dealing with those in authority who don’t appreciate or understand your contribution.

Setting my own hours – Being a grant writing consultant basically means you have the ability to write at 3:00 a.m. if you so wish. Once the appropriate information has been gathered you have the freedom to write when the inspiration strikes. This is especially great for families with children giving you the flexibility to write during school hours (on top of carting to soccer practice, putting dinner on the table, etc., hence, the 3 a.m. time frame.)

Working with whom I choose – The beauty of having your own business is the capability to work with clients of your choice. Of course, when you’re first venturing into the consultant territory, you may not can afford to be so selective. As your business grows, however, you’ll find a certain field that you’re most interested in or develop selection criteria that helps you pick clients that suit your interests and abilities.

Client variety – Speaking of working with clients of your choice, as a grant writing consultant you have the freedom to work with a variety of clients. This situation is perfect for those who bore easily or are eager to work in different fields of expertise.

Working remotely – How does working in your pajamas sound? If you’ve never been one who relished fighting morning traffic to get to a job by 8:00 a.m., a consultant’s job is just right for you. Being a consultant doesn’t mean you never have to get dressed – you certainly wouldn’t want to show up at a potential client’s in a bathrobe and curlers. But a consultant not only can work across town, he or she can work across the country. With today’s technology all information can be exchanged electronically. You set the boundaries.

Minimal start up cost – Most homes today have a computer, internet provider and phone. Starting a home-based consulting business is certainly preferable if space allows since it keeps your costs at a minimum.

So, there it is. The beauty of being a Grant Writing Consultant. I personally think it’s all that it’s cracked up to be!

Long time, no post. C’est la vie. Been really busy with NonprofitMarketingGuide.com.

But here is an article that got me to log back in here: Why Work-Life Balance Is a Bad Idea by Michael Gilbert. His point is that work and life shouldn’t be in conflict; they should be integrated.

As a self-employed professional, I have always felt that way. I struggle with balance in other ways — time on client work that pays now versus blogging or research that may or may not pay later, working in the evening when my kids are preoccupied with TV or video games versus forcing all of us away from the screens to do something together, face to face. But I do not see these as work-life conflicts, but rather time management struggles on my part. It’s all important, and it’s all part of me.

This debate reminded me of another one I’ve been having with myself lately: To what extent should I try to wall off my personal life when I’m using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter? If I am just “professional” on these sites, then I lose out on connecting online with “personal” friends. But I don’t have time, nor do I think it is really possible, to maintain two different profiles on various sites. And I have lots of people in my life who are both important professional contacts AND good friends. I care about what they are doing in all aspects of their lives, and they probably feel the same way about me. And does revealing personal information in a professional setting really have the potential to seriously hurt me anyway?

I’ve decided that the answer to that last one is either “no” or “I don’t care.” I think there is value in letting potential clients see the “personal” side of who I am along with the “professional.” I’m a package, a complete human being. While I’m not going to force any of my professional contacts to wade through personal information on what kind of music I like or who I’m voting for on my main sites like NonprofitMarketingGuide.com, I’m not going to hide that information from that percentage of people who are interested in connecting with me through social networking sites.

And honestly, there are lots of nonprofits that I would NEVER consider taking on as clients because I strongly disagree with their mission statements. So why shouldn’t clients have access to information that tells them more about my personal missions in life if that information is truly important to them? In many cases, it’s all going to be irrelevant to the discussion about working on a project together. But when it is relevant, why hide it, especially when so many benefits come from social networking otherwise?

What’s your take on these questions?

I’ve written a post on how I stay productive as a professional communicator over at my other blog, Nonprofit Communications. You can click over for the full post, but here is the quick summary:

1. Invest in speed.

2. Prioritize often.

3. File good ideas away.

4. Delegate.

5. Hire professionals.

6. Do similar jobs at the same time.

7. Make a little time for yourself during the workday.

8. Turn everything off and shut the door.

9. Get organized, but don’t obsess about it.

10. Be realistic about long tasks take.

Read the whole post here.

If you are like most writers I know, you are constantly coming up with ideas for articles, stories, client projects, blog posts, marketing for your business, and more. All the ideas I get would prevent me from getting any real work done if I entertained them all as I got them. Instead, I have to get them out of my head and into my system for tracking ideas so I can get back to the current to-do list.

I use a combination of paper and electrons to keep track of everything. It’s not the most elegant method, but after many years, I’ve learned that my system is the only one that really works for me.

I have a big notebook on my desk divided into the major categories that represent my various writing enterprises, a tiny notebook in my purse for when I’m on the move, and a pad of paper on the bedside table for those late night, middle of the night, and early morning brainstorms.

All the random ideas I get go into one of these three paper places. Every now and then I move ideas that still seem interesting or relevant from the little notebook and the bedside pad into the big notebook. Notes about clients go into that client’s project folder on my desk.

I look through the big notebook regularly and when I decide to act on an idea, I move it into the PDA. The PDA only contains items that I really consider to-do items for the coming month or so. When I’m working, I look at the PDA only and don’t get distracted by the hundreds of waiting ideas in the notebook.
This may seem like a terribly inefficient method, but it’s actually a great way to filter ideas and let the best rise from the scraps of paper and into the PDA. Looking through the notebook also lets me see themes in my thinking over time, which inspire new approaches to projects.

How do you keep track of all the ideas you get? How do you prevent all of your ideas from overwhelming you or distracting you from your paying work? Write a post on your blog and link back here, or leave a comment.

So it turns out that going outside makes your brain work better.

According to Brain Based Biz, the fresh air helps in many ways. Your brain gets more oxygen. The natural world stimulates your brain in new ways. Working memory kicks in and lets you solve problems in new ways. It relaxes your brain and brings calm.

This is the exactly the justification I needed for my sketchy patio furniture shopping behavior. While some people would shop based on how comfortable the furniture is for sunbathing or entertaining, I’m looking for a patio set that will allow me to work outside. I want a solid, smooth table top that I can write on, not one of those iron tables with the woven mesh tops or some weird bumpy pattern. I also want comfy chairs that sit high enough against the table that I can type on the laptop comfortably.

Some may say that shopping for patio furniture based on your ability to work on it is a sure sign of workaholism, but I’d argue that it’s a perk of the work-at-home lifestyle. What could possibly be better than watching your kids play in the sandbox outside among your flower garden in the middle of the day, while you are supposed to be working? Granted, I can’t do serious writing while watching the kids, but I can definitely catch up on email and RSS reading. An even when I’m not watching the kids, I still like to go outside, and then I really can get some good writing in.

Do you like to write outside? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Thanks to Jeff at Donor Power Blog for the tip.

Deb Ng’s post on her frustrations about writing for search engine optimization (SEO) made a shiver run down my spine. I am so happy that I don’t have to do that kind of writing to pay the bills. It was yet another reminder to me to be thankful that I work as a full-time freelancer doing the kind of writing I truly enjoy. Sure, there are some assignments from nonprofit clients that I slog through, but for the most part, I really do like writing newsletter articles, web content, annual reports, etc. I love helping nonprofits tell their stories. I think I’d rather quit freelancing than be forced to write nothing but SEO articles on cheap refrigerators and pallet racks!

Some freelance writers have nice safety cushions in place when they start out, like spouses with six-figure salaries or inheritances. Others start freelancing later in life, as a second career, when they’ve had a chance to weave a safety net of their own. Neither was the case for me, when I took the jump into full-time freelancing at age 29. I had a little bit of savings and had just moved in with my husband (then boyfriend), who was paying the mortgage on his own. But other than that, it was pure guts.

I am the only person in my family who is self-employed. Most of my family members have comfortable government or military jobs. At the time, I didn’t even know that many self-employed people. But I was still confident that I could make it work, because of a healthy streak of independence and self-confidence that I thank my mom and my aunt for giving me as I was growing up.

My mom stayed at home with my sister and me, and my Air Force dad was often on assignments long from home, for weeks and months and, in one case, more than a year at a time. She took care of everything for us, including the more stereotypical “dad” jobs. Mom made all the big decisions in our house, whether dad was home or not (or at least it seemed that way). Even though she looked like a quiet housewife on the outside, that woman knew how to get any job done! She always figured out a way, no matter what the problem was. Watching her all those years gave me the confidence to know that I’d be able to handle anything that came my way as a small business person, without the back-up of a big office of support staff or management to solve problems for me.

My Aunt Robin also taught me about independence. Many times over the course of her life she has made up her mind about what she wanted to do, and then did it, without worrying about what others would think. She may have labored over these decisions in ways I never saw, but to me, she always looked like a take-charge, just-do-it, live-life-now person. She decided early on she didn’t want kids (she had great nieces after all), moved overseas for several years, changed careers, and always made decisions that were right for her. She describes some of her decisions as “selfish,” but to me, I saw a confident woman who trusted her instincts.

Thanks Mom and Robin for giving me the guts to go it alone in the business world!

One of the beauties of being a self-employed professional like a freelance writer/editor is the ability to work at home and set your own daily schedule. The drawback is that those liberties can turn you into a sloth who sleeps late, works for two hours and then eats on the couch all afternoon, while telling yourself that you are simply trying to break through “writer’s block” with a little Oprah therapy. (Yes, I speak from experience, but this was way before I had kids — I haven’t had a slothy day since the first one was born three and half years ago.)

Both physical and mental fitness can be a challenge for work-at-home pros. I have found this to be especially true since my second child was born in January. My commitment to fitness is being tested every day as I work to lose the pregnancy pounds and stay mentally sharp on about six hours of sleep a night.

Here is how I’m doing it:

• I bought a treadmill. Getting to the gym just wasn’t going to happen with everything on my desk and my kids calling out to me all day. This way I can work out while the baby sleeps in her swing within my view and the toddler is watching TV or otherwise entertaining herself (she is good at that, thankfully). I can step right off if either of them needs me, and then step right back on. No loading everyone in the car; no excuses about bad weather.
• I made a public commitment. I write a quarterly column in our local newspaper and in the last one I wrote, I made a public commitment to do our local Susan G. Komen 5K. A copy of the article is posted right by my desk. There is nothing like telling thousands of people you are going to do something to make you actually do it.
• I keep up with current events. I make time every day to watch the local and national news and to at least glance at the newspaper, if not actually read it. Thinking about politics and what’s happening in the world helps keep my brain engaged in pursuits other than my work and my family, and I think that keeps me sharper than if I focused on my little world alone.
• I volunteer. I manage websites for two organizations as a volunteer (our local Democratic Party and our church). Again, this forces me outside of my own work and way of doing things.

Working at home is a wonderful experience, but it does require some extra planning on your part — including ways to keep yourself mentally and physically fit.
This post was written in response to the “Question of the Week” from the Work-at-Home Mom Bloggers.