Jongler avec plusieurs projets de subventions est écrasant. Comment pouvez-vous maintenir un équilibre sain entre vie professionnelle et vie privée ?

I agree. Prioritising task is key when juggling multiple projects or activities. One thing I've found useful is to identify the task/activity that most tasks/activities depend on to start, as well as identifying urgent tasks/activities with the most value.

Get Organized and Prioritize: List all projects and deadlines, using tools like Trello for small tasks, ClickUp for complex projects, and Notion for overall organization. Prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. Notion offers customizable templates to ease the learning curve. Use Time Management Techniques: Employ techniques like the Pomodoro Technique or time-blocking. I block my calendar for deep work from 8 AM to 12 PM and reserve afternoons for emails and meetings, aligning tasks with my energy levels. Adjust based on when you're most productive.

Juggling multiple grant projects can indeed be overwhelming, but I maintain a healthy work-life balance by prioritizing family first. I commit to working diligently during the weekdays, but I reserve weekends exclusively for family time. Over the years, this unwritten norm has become well-understood and helps me maintain a strong work-life balance.

It is very important to balance work-life when juggling multiple grant projects. Utilizing project tools such as Mircosoft Project and Gantt charts are very essential. If you are blessed to have a team, make sure you are keeping them focused on the work plan and deliverables. Assess their capabilities and capacities to delegate tasks to help stay on target. Frequent updates are necessary to make sure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and to address any issues so goals are being met. Communicating the goals of completing the tasks while protecting time outside of the normal work schedule and how we can work together to make it happen is a collaborative effort.

Efficiently managing various grant projects while maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for ensuring sustained productivity and overall well-being. It is important to prioritize tasks based on deadlines and significance, as well as to divide extensive projects into smaller, more manageable components to avoid exhaustion. Utilize organizational tools and maintain open communication with your team to guarantee everyone is on the same page. Above all, establish clear boundaries by dedicating time to self-care and physical activity that rejuvenate you outside of work. Adopting a well-rounded approach not only improves your professional performance but also preserves your mental and physical wellness.

Staying out of my home office is absolutely essential for turning off my work brain. I’ve also found it helpful to build in a start of the day routine. Usually, this is reading news or articles in my field

Time Boxing is your friend. Allocate time in your calendar as 'unavailable' when you need to focus, allocate 'available' time for collaboration, meetings and calls

Setting up a routine that has a healthy balance of work, reflection, family and down time can help prevent burnout, especially when the work piece requires a lot of focus and energy. As an independent consultant, I find it helpful to have a time that I begin and end work activities each day. I begin each day with a bit of reflection time and an activity that nourishes my mind and soul, which helps set the mood for whatever the day may unfold for me. In the evening, I have time set aside for chores that need to be done and end the day with family down time. It's this routine that allows me to easily adjust when things don't quite fit as I expect them to.

Fix the work hours, it will help avoiding procrastination to a great extend. Don't assume that we are superhumans and establish support system. Engage domestic help and childcare service providers efficiently that you are not exhausted or burn-out with parental and child care responsibilities. Use the work hours efficiency to complete the tasks and do not compromise on work hours for personal things and wise versa.

Delegating is not merely an act to get things off your plate, but an opportunity to help others grow and develop. When choosing what to delegate, choose tasks that will help people grow their potential and develop their skills. It is essential to provide clear direction, including what a finished product looks like to you and how you want to use it. This will help the person formulate the right questions to understand how to get the task done. After delegating, provide space and autonomy for the person to do the work on their own and in their own way. Make time to answer questions they may have and to provide further guidance, if the person expresses a need for it; but don't hover.

The key to a team doing their best work is division of work by talent. Detail person - one set of work, analytics person - another, creative - a third. Give people the tasks that they like, and the finished product will be cheaper, easier and better.

In my experience, effective delegation goes beyond simply assigning tasks—it’s about understanding the strengths and interests of each team member. By aligning tasks with their expertise and professional growth goals, I ensure that delegation is not just about reducing my workload, but also about fostering a more engaged and motivated team. I’ve found that when team members feel their contributions are valued and aligned with their skills, they are more invested in the outcome, which leads to higher quality work and a more collaborative environment. Plus, regularly checking in to provide support and feedback creates a sense of shared responsibility, which strengthens trust and communication within the team.

Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of team members is the starting point. Delegating tasks according to the strengths of members frees up your plate but also adds to the depth of knowledge generation.

Flexibility at my workplace has certainly helped me not feel overwhelmed with large, complex projects. During grant reporting season, I often work late and on weekends, so being afforded days to sleep in or work around my children’s activities is essential to my personal mental health. I also work from home when I need to do really focused work without distractions. Finding what works for you will help to keep the project on track while you manage your personal priorities.

The first thing I expect when managing multiple grants is that something unexpected is sure to happen at some point. This conscious understanding is the first step in setting the stage for my ability to adjust and be flexible when the unexpected does arise. The second step is setting up an organized system to easily see and understand what my top priorities are for each grant. This allows me to set calendar reminders for critical dates for things such as reporting and to stay on top of important tasks. By doing this, I am able to create both the physical and mental space to deal with unexpected issues when they arise.

Flexibility in the grant and funding process is essential, especially if you are depending on information from outside your organization. The busiest days during the grand/funding process are always those right before submission. Being able to work remotely on those days frees up valuable time for final tasks that would have otherwise been used commuting.

It's important to set limits on the extra hours we work and make sure to take routine vacation days. I personally save half of my vacation days for family time and use the other half to create extended long weekends by taking either a Friday or Tuesday off for every Monday holiday weekend. These days are strictly dedicated to reenergizing activities, like reading a good book, lounging in bed, getting a massage, making plans with a friend, or going for a nice hike. This balance ensures I stay refreshed and maintain my productivity.

Grant administration can be quite sedentary work. One thing I’ve found helpful has been to get up once every hour to walk around for a few minutes, and sometimes I even stretch. This gives my eyes a break from staring at a screen, clears my mind and makes me feel a bit more refreshed to tackle my next task. It’s also important to try to stick to your required work hours if possible, so your personal and rest time isn’t limited as this can cause burnout overtime.

To balance multiple grant projects and maintain well-being: Plan and Prioritize: Use a schedule to manage tasks and deadlines. Break Down Tasks: Divide work into smaller steps and set goals. Manage Time: Use techniques like Pomodoro and time blocking. Delegate: Share tasks and seek help when needed. Communicate Clearly: Update stakeholders and set work boundaries. Practice Self-Care: Take breaks, exercise, and get enough sleep. Reflect and Adjust: Regularly assess and tweak your approach. Use Technology: Utilize tools for task management and automation. These strategies help manage workload and maintain a balanced life.

Knowing I tend to hyper focus on projects, I set a timer on my phone to remind me to take a break. This allows me to step back from the project for a while and return to it with a fresh perspective. Even if a short break is only to use the restroom & refill my water, it gives me a moment to clear my head, take a short walk and then regroup my thoughts. This is necessary when dealing with the complicated concepts of grant administration.

I have created my own shortcuts, templates, and some placeholder content. For example, if I talk about the scenario planning task and method I am going to use, well more or less I know what this will look like. Of course, I will tailor it but I don't need from scratch.

I utilize Smartsheet as a project management tool and that has proven to be effective in ensuring we are on track with performance and spend. We have also developed RACI charts so we know who is responsible for certain components of the project. Accountability is key! I personally use Microsoft To Do to keep me focused on daily priorities, breaking down larger projects into chunks so it feels manageable.

I have digitized most of our work so that it’s accessible remotely. We also use grant management software that helps keep projects together and streamlined.