Proposal Writing

by Erin Banister

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Many of my clients have to create [tag]proposals[/tag] - or they want to. Unfortunately, many of us have little experience with propsal creating, which leads to 9-10-15 hour days in front of the computer trying to smash out the latest proposal. Laura Ricci of Laura’s winning ideas has been featured in [tag]Inc[/tag] and [tag]Fortune[/tag], and has this to say about burnout:

The brain works by creating pathways for specific projects, like your last proposal. [tag]Communication[/tag] is passed between cells along these synaptic pathways by electrical charges. The gap between cells has a conducting property. Think of it as a gel that holds a charge, similar to a battery.

Synaptic pathways wear out

When the synaptic pathway is fired continuously, like your last proposal, the gel loses its charge after awhile. Communication slows and takes on static. By the time you notice a slowdown, burnout has already occurred….
Breaks are the only way to prevent this problem from slowing down your progress and ditching your proposal’s winning edge.

Make sure everyone on your team takes breaks. Meal breaks should include REAL FOOD, not fast food and last at least 40 minutes each. Your body needs time to redistribute fluids back to the brain after getting your digestive track lubricated and working. A walk around the outside of the building, a break for a snack of fresh fruit, a few minutes of music, a 20 minute nap. The proposal must not be discussed, reviewed, thought of or otherwise intrude during breaks. It takes awhile to get used to breaking for dinner and talking about anything BUT the proposal, but you can do it!

I think this is relavent to all projects, just not proposals. I know I occasionally find myself bundled up at my computer for numerous hours at the whim of my latest brain child - and then when I return to it after a break, it seems much of the project is jibberish.

Solo service professionals generally don’t have the support system nearby to notify when it’s breaktime, but we can just as easily set up our scheduling software to ping us when it’s time to break. This will save us the time and immeasuable heartbreak that occurs when we push our minds past their limits, and they spit gunk out at us.

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