I attribute my keen attention to detail – when, and only when, I choose to use it – to an early Catholic school upbringing. Nuns, after all, were not fond of children who didn’t follow instructions.

I started going to public school in fifth grade, and it soon became clear that my background was an asset. The teacher gave us a quiz and told us to read all of the questions before answering any. I read the entire quiz while my classmates scribbled answers, barked like dogs and raced through other questions. The last entry said to put down my pencil and wait for everyone else to finish. Eventually, my classmates realized why the strange new kid was just sitting there and grinning, and they followed the directions as well.

My fastidiousness for directions still is coming into play decades later. Most recently, it appears to be one of the reasons my boss asked me to help with grant writing. Our nonprofit organization doesn’t have a dedicated grant writer, so she decided to have me pitch in and give it a whirl. I think it helps that I believe deadlines are just that, not mere suggestions. After all, meeting application deadlines appears to be as critical to the grant-writing process as following directions.

I started out in late 2015 by applying for two awards with monetary prizes before moving on to small grants. Less than six months into this added role, I’m working on a multi-million dollar opportunity. Some of what I’ve learned so far:

• Patience also is a must, especially when it feels like you’re herding cats to get feedback.
• Word or character counts can be tight, so answers must be brief but thorough.
• Seeing that screen saying your application is received when you’re all through is quite a relief.

If any grant writers have some advice, I’d love to hear it.