Procrastina-a-tion

I have ten work days left at my outgoing job between now and the end of the month. And I feel good about what got done while I was there, good about the new executive director coming in (with her too-cool Aussie accent and clever sense of humor).

Unfortunately, I promised to write them a thesis before I go. The definitive business case for why funders should invest their money in this organization. Connecting all the logical dots from here to The World Will Be a Demonstrably Better Place! With citations, data, compelling illustrations to support each point. You need this, I said, and it's the perfect task for a lame duck interim director who knows you well, but has enough distance to apply a critical eye to your argument.

Stupid, stupid hobbit.

As always seems to happen to me in these situations, I have a raging case of writer's block. I have assembled statistics, data, literature about the future of philanthropy (and boy howdy, there is a LOT of literature on the future of philanthropy!). I have the arc of the argument painted elegantly in my head, and I've run it by a few people to kick the tires a bit and give me feedback. But I have yet to write one. single word. It sits, festering maddeningly in all its elegance, in my stupid brain.

Now they're all waiting for it, too. I got them excited. "This is definitely the highest and best use of your remaining time here," says my boss. Well, golly, no pressure there. "By then, we'll have Flora's business case! So we can go talk to the Blahblah Foundation," says the fundraising committee chair. Gulp.

Ten days.