Tips for Making the Most of the New Home Office, Part 3 of 3

For better or worse, I have worked out of my home for nearly my whole life. Out of necessity, I have learned some tricks for improving my productivity. Mainly, they all boil down to the necessity of staying in the zone - this is the happy, fulfilling moment when the day seems to fly by because you are concentrating so hard and so completely. It is actually easier to get into this highly productive state at home compared to at work. Nevertheless, you need to do everything you can to keep yourself in the zone.

1. Don't answer the phone. Phone calls are a terrible distraction. The worst thing about answering them all immediately is that you teach your customers, lenders, suppliers, and employees to call you at the drop of a hat when things get tough. Surprisingly, if you are a little tougher to get hold of they can sometimes solve the problem on their own. I like to avoid answering calls immediately. Instead, I allow phone messages to pile up and then I deal with them all at once. 
2. Don't do email first thing in the morning. Sadly, responding too quickly to your emails is also a great way to bust up your home office routine. It is better to batch those as well. I try not to even open up my email until later in the day. If you begin with your email, you will quickly find yourself doing less important tasks, generating additional unnecessary work, and distracting yourself from the work that really matters - meeting deadlines, closing deals, collecting checks. 
3. Eat the frogs first. This means get your unpleasant chores done first. I number all my chores each evening or morning and then force myself to do the top one or two first thing in the morning. Usually, the call or confrontation isn't any where near as disturbing or as time consuming as I feared. I also feel great for the rest of the day because I know I accomplished something that was tough for me to do or say.  
4. Use games to stop procrastination - remember you don't have a boss watching you any more or peers to inspire you. For example, to overcome call reluctance, I often find it helps to imagine that when I call someone I'm just calling their answering machine. 
5. Take a baby step to get started. Another great gimmick is to just tell yourself you are just going to do something for five minutes. You will often find that once you are started you fall into the flow state and you work until the task is finished. 
6. Leverage your advantages. Use all the resources around you to be more productive. Have your wife or children help with simple tasks. Make use of your assistants, co-workers, and others around you. Just because you are alone at home doesn't mean you can't be on the phone every hour checking up on people, assigning tasks, and leveraging the talents of others to get things done. 
7. Bliss out. It is easier to be spiritual at home than in the office. Use this to your advantage. You have more ability at home to be serene, in the moment, and happy. You don't need to conform to useless social conventions. In fact, you have more time to meditate, feel the balls of your feet, enjoy the fact that you are alive. I know I am taking advantage of this COVID-19 crisis to improve my meditation skills. I'm noticing I'm seeing opportunities sooner and profiting from them.
8. Don't wear pajamas. I think it is better to dress up for work at home just like you would at the office. Clothing is a psychological cue for you even if no one else notices it. I think people can tell if you are answering the phone in your pajamas. Don't do it. 
9. Watch out for sound quality. Remember that small sounds travel when you work at home. More likely than not, the other party on the phone will hear the clatter in the kitchen, the flushing toilet, or the dog in the background. You need to be sensitive to these sounds and not allow them to impact your listener. This means no music during phone calls. No television in the distance. Above all, don't wash dishes or clean cabinets while on the phone with a client. They can hear the noises and know that you are distracted. 

In the absence of office peer pressure, you need to find other ways to make yourself productive. Creating a happy, calm, quiet atmosphere will go a long way toward allowing you to outperform your office self by making it easy to concentrate and harder to be interrupted.

Tips for Making the Most of the New Home Office, Part 2 of 3

Due to the spread of COVID-19 many of us be working from home. As I heard a friend say, "It makes no sense to drive one hour just to go from one computer screen to another computer screen."

Nevertheless, I think there is good reason to be cautious about the benefits of working from home. The only thing that makes the office more productive is peer pressure. It forces you to show up on time and leave on time. You are in a competitive environment and the social pressure for performance is immense. Without that social pressure your productivity now seems to depend on an almost inhuman level of self-discipline.

To be productive at home, you need something else to keep you working. For me, I've found it helps to get into the flow state. This is the state-of-mind where you happily work for hours seemingly unaware of your surroundings. Getting into and staying in the flow state is the principle behind all my specific suggestions for improving home office productivity.

If you follow them, there is a chance that you may be more productive than you would normally be in an office.

1. Set aside special times for phone calls, writing, reading, and other work related activities. It is more efficient to batch these activities than to mix them up. Remember, the key thing is to get into the unconscious work flow state. If you establish the habit of doing certain activities on certain days at certain times of the day, then you will be more disciplined about following through. For example, at Drew & Associates I set aside specific times each week for introducing myself to new potential clients. Every Thursday between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. that is what I'm doing.
2. Never rewrite anything the same day you write it. This is a huge productivity advantage. Too many people tear their hair out writing and rewriting the same sentence over and over again until it is perfect. You cannot write and edit at the same time and expect to be successful. Instead, write without rewriting whenever you do a first draft. Then only review it the next day when your mind is fresh. Sometimes you will find that the material you were agonizing over what actually pretty good. You were just being hypercritical during the drafting process.
3. Make sure you have music in the background. It seems especially helpful to have familiar music which keeps part of your mind distracted while your higher mind focuses on getting the real work done. I have my own mix that I sued which you can see on YouTube. Using music to distract your wandering mind leave the rest of your brain the space it needs to concentrate. 
4. I like having a beverage on my desk, usually coffee, often a Diet Coke. Getting up for a drink breaks the flow state that is the key to home office productivity. This means anything that keeps you in your seat longer is good for you. This means moving the coffee pot close to your desk, keeping a refrigerator in your office, or making sure you have a beverage when ever you sit down before your keyboard. 
5. Go through everything in your office and reorganize it. Make sure the things you use the most are in the drawers or shelves closest to you. Things you use infrequently should be further away physically. It sometimes help to have an outsider help you decide which objects and which files should be closer or farther away. 
6. Create a tight, brilliant filing plan. Be consistent in your labeling and organization of your file folders. I was reminded of the importance of internal organization when we helped charities apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans earlier this month. I was under stress and moving quickly. I saved a lot of time my setting up a system beforehand which put the key information I needed for a loan application all in one place. In a sense, orderly files are more important than brains. 
7. Make sure you are happy at work. If you are feeling unhappy it is probably because you are doing something you don't need to do. Your subconscious will warn you. Your level of happiness is also a key indicator of whether or not you are in the flow state. Changing the task so that you remain happy is one of the secrets of staying in the productive flow state. 
8. Use fans, air-conditioning and/or space heaters to maintain a consistent temperature. If you work at home you absolutely need to pay attention to your environment. Anything which makes you too hot or too cold will now be more likely to knock you out of the flow state. Ideally, your environmental temperature and humidity, if you can control it, should be perfectly consistent in your home work space. You need a stable environment if you want to be able to focus 100% on your work. 

If you rely on the same techniques which worked at your regular office, you most likely will fail at working from home. This is what a lot of people advice however. This is why they say you need to dress up for work, maintain consistent hours, check in with other people to be accountable. You are better off, in my view, to take a completely different tact and concentrate instead on doing something you could never do at the office - maintain a clean, consistent, uninterrupted state of productive focus. If you are having fun, then it is working.

On-Line Teaching: Why I Love It, Why You Should Try It Out

I have always been a big fan of online courses. I think they are a great way to reduce the costs of education while also increasing its quality.

This is because there are things you can do with an online class that would be less efficient to do in a face-to-face class such as conducting online grant research, sharing screens, polling students, and otherwise interacting with course materials is a fresh and ingenious way.

If you want to take one of my online classes - as an introduction to grant writing - or as a helpful refresher course, then you'll want to check out this upcoming grant writing course.

I will be teaching my Grant Writing Fundamentals course on-line thanks to the support of Glendale Community College (GCC). The six-hour course will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on April 25, 2020.

You can register for the course right now by going to the GCC website at https://www.glendale.edu/academics/continuing-education-garfield

You can call them at (818) 240-1000, Ext. 5678 or email them at ce-glendale@glendale.edu

$65 course fee + $36 for materials
Total: $104.

Course materials includes sample grants, the project innovator form, and other documents essential to succeeding at grant writing.

Don't Delay: There is Still Time to Submit an Application for a SBA Paycheck Protection Program Loan

The SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a bold and timely reaction by the federal government to the present crisis. It provides $350 billion in relief to small businesses and nonprofits.

The popularity of this program has been so great that the first round of funding ran out on April 16, 2020. This is less than two weeks after the money was made available through the Small Business Administration.

There is a chance that Congress will approve a second round of funding, an additional $250 million. To have a chance at obtaining a piece of this funding for you or your charity, you need to take action now to keep or establish your place in line. 

PPP will give you the resources to pay salaries and benefits even as charitable contributions continue to decline. I'm sure many charity leaders and board members are anxious to benefit from this program. They do not want to be left out of what may be a once-in-a-lifetime deal that will keep their churches, charities or schools alive.

After all, the loans that will be given out can be completely forgiven. It will be like having an ATM in the lobby of your institution spitting out money all day long.

Buy Now

For most of us, the problem is we are not sure where to turn for help, whether we are eligible, if we are too late, or how to prepare ourselves to secure PPP funding if and when more money is made available. Even worse, we can be frustrated that only larger charities or small businesses with up to 500 employees will have the resources, connections or staff needed to be first in line to get this money. After all, this is exactly what has happened, isn't it?

I know what it's like. I had a tough time applying for a PPP forgivable loan myself to protect Drew & Associates and our staff. My lender, Wells Fargo, let me down. I ended up applying through another institution. I don't want anyone else to jump through the hoops I've had to scale. 

We are now working with a number of our non-profit clients to get them ready to apply right now. As one of them reminded me it easy to put this off because you're afraid it is too much work, that it is a waste of time, or that it only goes to more established charities. I get it.

Frankly, it seems silly for me and my staff to work hard to win you grants when the SBA Paycheck Protection Program is potentially available. I can't think of anything more important right now that to help you participate in this program. The amounts and benefits will be amazing.

According to the SBA, your total loan amount will be equal to your annual expenses for labor - wages, salaries, benefits, and 1099s - divided by 12 and then multiplied by 2.5. We have a spreadsheet calculator that will help you figure out the exact amount you can request. It is important to remember that if there person receiving the 1099 is classified as an independent contractor - someone who provides you with services and not just labor - then those payments need to be dropped from the mix. 

As long as you maintain at least 90% of your current staffing, you can spend this money anyway you want as long as you focus on payroll, utilities, rent and interest expenses. If you do that, your loan will be completely forgiven.

I have put together a new service to help you quickly, easily and reliably access these funds with the assistance of our conscientious team. 

Personally, I've got 25 years of experience in dealing with federal loan programs as a loan officer, a client of the SBA, and as a grant writing consultant. My skills will help you to get started and to secure this money. We will:

• Save you time by screening your charity for eligibility;
• Fill out the appropriate PPP paperwork for you;
• Help you gather the necessary documentation;
• If you do not have it, we will help you find it or create it for you;
• Work with your banker or help you find a banker that does SBA loans;
• Submit your application on time;
• Answer any inquiries or requests for additional information, and
• Make sure you get paid quickly.

As far as we know, you should be getting your funding within 30 days of receiving your application approval from the bank or lender. Later, we will work with you to make sure you collect the exact receipts, records, and financial reports you need to qualify for 100% forgiveness of your loan.

One of the cool things about this process is that we will help you become one of the first community leaders to protect their employees and their non-profit by accessing PPP funding. You will be a hero.

On the other hand, I have to be real with you. If you do not apply for this funding it may be catastrophic for your charity.

Buy Now

We have no way of knowing exactly how long this crisis will last or how much more PPP funding will be available. Since this money is given on a first come, first served basis, it will eventually run out and some people will not be able to get it. Even if you manage to survive without the income needed to cover your payroll, utilities and rent, your charity will be threatened because it will emerge from this crisis damaged, living on a tighter margin and potentially even more vulnerable to continuing financial and pandemic shocks.

All it takes to get started is to pay a small deposit of $250.00 and set-up an intake phone call with me at 949-338-5921.

In that phone call, I ask you some questions about your charity, screen you for eligibility, and then make a recommendation on whether or not it makes sense to bring you on as a client for this PPP opportunity. If it is not a fit, then I will refund your money. If it looks like you are a good prospect, then we will move forward with the paperwork. I'll provide you with a list of needed documents, a loan amount calculator, urgent program updates, official SBA application w/ instructions, unlimited email and phone support.

Once we are ready to go we will charge you an additional $250.00 The total fee for our service will be a flat rate of $500.00

The final result will be astounding for you and your charity. Your employees will enjoy the peace of mind and security that you have wisely provided for them. You will be able to keep up your rent and utility payments. You will be able to put your people to work again doing useful things even if they are no longer meeting with your clients face-to-face.

You will also be prepared to go after a second round of funding too. This will most likely happen if stay-at-home orders, quarantines or marshal law are declared in your area. All in all, you will be appreciated for leading your charity in a crisis and protecting its capacity to complete its mission now and in the years to come. I'm excited to work with you to make this happen. To get started, use the Buy Now button below.

Buy Now

Wells Fargo Closes Window for PPP Loans for Nonprofits and Small Businesses

I'm so angry. I wasn't getting any responses from Wells Fargo on Friday when the window for securing Paycheck Protection loans opened up. I thought they would start accepting applications Monday morning.

Instead, they opened up for inquiries only and then shut that down on April 5. I have a checking account there so I should have been eligible for a loan. So should one of my best clients. Now, I'll need to start looking for another opportunity. 

Apparently the reason Wells Fargo shut down its lending so quickly is that they are under limitations set to punish them for cheating their customers earlier. Here's the note from Wells Fargo:

We know that these are tough times, and we’re committed to helping you get through this. We announced on April 5, 2020 that Wells Fargo is targeting to distribute a total of $10 billion to small business customers under the requirements of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and will focus on serving two segments: nonprofits and small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. 

We have received forms from customers expressing interest in the PPP that we expect will fill the company’s capacity to lend under the program, as Wells Fargo continues to operate under existing asset cap limitations. Given the exceptionally high volume of requests we have already received, we will not be able to accept any additional requests for a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program. We will review all expressions of interest submitted by customers via our online form through April 5 and provide updates in the coming days. 

We have also announced that fees generated through the program will be quickly returned to small businesses as charitable grants to non-profits that support small businesses, which is a focus of Wells Fargo’s philanthropic efforts.

At this point, I'm exploring all the other local lenders. I'll be happy to abandon my Wells Fargo checking account and go with someone else.  Maybe Bank of America. 

Bank of America Releases Information Regarding Paperwork Demands for Paycheck Protection Loans

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA - Bank of America has given its customers a heads up on what sort of documentation they are looking for from their loan applicants. Specifically, they are asking for the follow documents:

• 2019 Payroll – total payroll for full year 2019, by employee, as reported to the IRS.
• 2019 Independent Contractor Costs – Listing of 1099’s-MISC for 2019 independent contractors, by person, as reported to the IRS. (Note: Do NOT include 1099’s for services).
• Payroll report – as of February 15, 2020, or closest date after that date, by employee.

According to Forbes, Bank of America was the first major bank to begin accepting applications for the Paycheck Protection Program loans. Unfortunately, they are limiting access to these loans to just the customers who are already borrowing from the bank. Just having a checking account with them is not enough to gain access to these loans.

"The banking industry fears they may end up holding too many low interest loans if borrowers fail to meet the SBA's standards for 100% loan forgiveness," said John Drew. "The toughest part about getting this loan may be finding a funder willing to work with you."

"In the worst case," he says, "we are advising our clients to apply for the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program instead."

The EIDL is more attracting to banks because of its higher interest rate of 3.75% for small businesses and 2.75% for non-profits. The best part of an EIDL program is that it includes a $10,000 advance which does not have to be repaid.

Elsewhere, we see applications are now being accepted for the Paycheck Protection Program through JPMorgan Chase’s online portal. Citigroup says their applications will be “available shortly.” Wells Fargo is not yet accepting applications either. We called a few times with no luck.

Drew & Associates is recommending that its clients have these documents ready to go as PDF files so they will be ready to upload, if and when, their bank begins accepting applications on-line. Right now, we think it maybe best to apply through the bank that holds your mortgage or other loans rather than the bank that handles your checking account.

If you have news about your bank that you would like us to share with others, please call 949-338-5921.

For more information about having the Drew & Associates team assist you with your application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, please click on the following link, Drew & Associates' Paycheck Protection DocPrep Program.

The Front of the Line: How Can Your Charity Access the SBA Paycheck Protection Program?

The SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a bold and timely reaction by the federal government to the present crisis. It provides $350 billion in relief to small businesses and nonprofits.

PPP will give you the resources to pay salaries and benefits even as charitable contributions continue to decline. I'm sure many charity leaders and board members are anxious to benefit from this program. They do not want to be left out of what may be a once-in-a-lifetime deal that will keep their churches, charities or schools alive.

After all, the loans that will be given out can be completely forgiven. It will be like having an ATM in the lobby of your institution spitting out money all day long.

Buy Now

For most of us, the problem is we are not sure where to turn for help, whether we are eligible, if we are too late, or how to prepare ourselves to secure PPP funding once the application process opens up on Friday, April 3, 2020. Even worse, we can be frustrated that only larger charities or small businesses with up to 500 employees will have the resources, connections or staff needed to be first in line to get this money.

I know what it's like. I'm applying for a PPP forgivable loan myself to protect Drew & Associates and our staff.

We are now working with a number of our non-profit clients to get them ready to apply later this week. As one of them reminded me it easy to put this off because you're afraid it is too much work, that it is a waste of time, or that it only goes to more established charities. I get it.

Frankly, it seems silly for me and my staff to work hard to win you grants when the SBA Paycheck Protection Program is coming on line. I can't think of anything more important right now that to help you participate in this program. The amounts and benefits will be amazing.

According to the SBA, your total loan amount will be equal to your annual expenses for labor - wages, salaries, benefits, and 1099s - divided by 12 and then multiplied by 2.5. We have a spreadsheet calculator that will help you figure out the exact amount you can request. It is important to remember that if there person receiving the 1099 is classified as an independent contractor - someone who provides you with services and not just labor - then those payments need to be dropped from the mix. 

As long as you maintain at least 90% of your current staffing, you can spend this money anyway you want as long as you focus on payroll, utilities, rent and interest expenses. If you do that, your loan will be completely forgiven.

I have put together a new service to help you quickly, easily and reliably access these funds with the assistance of our conscientious team. 

Personally, I've got 25 years of experience in dealing with federal loan programs as a loan officer, a client of the SBA, and as a grant writing consultant. My skills will help you to get started and to secure this money. We will:

• Save you time by screening your charity for eligibility;
• Fill out the appropriate PPP paperwork for you;
• Help you gather the necessary documentation;
• If you do not have it, we will help you find it or create it for you;
• Work with your banker or help you find a banker that does SBA loans;
• Submit your application on time;
• Answer any inquiries or requests for additional information, and
• Make sure you get paid quickly.

As far as we know, you should be getting your funding within 30 days of receiving your application approval from the bank or lender. Later, we will work with you to make sure you collect the exact receipts, records, and financial reports you need to qualify for 100% forgiveness of your loan.

One of the cool things about this process is that we will help you become one of the first community leaders to protect their employees and their non-profit by accessing PPP funding. You will be a hero.

On the other hand, I have to be real with you. If you do not apply for this funding it may be catastrophic for your charity.

Buy Now

We have no way of knowing exactly how long this crisis will last or how long this PPP funding will be available. Since this money is given on a first come, first served basis, it will eventually run out and some people will not be able to get it. Even if you manage to survive without the income needed to cover your payroll, utilities and rent, your charity will be threatened because it will emerge from this crisis damaged, living on a tighter margin and potentially even more vulnerable to continuing financial and pandemic shocks.

All it takes to get started is to pay a small deposit of $250.00 and set-up an intake phone call with me at 949-338-5921.

In that phone call, I ask you some questions about your charity, screen you for eligibility, and then make a recommendation on whether or not it makes sense to bring you on as a client for this PPP opportunity. If it is not a fit, then I will refund your money. If it looks like you are a good prospect, then we will move forward with the paperwork. I'll provide you with a list of needed documents, a loan amount calculator, urgent program updates, official SBA application w/ instructions, unlimited email and phone support.

Once we are ready to go we will charge you an additional $750.00 The total fee for our service will be a flat rate of $1,000.00

The final result will be astounding for you and your charity. Your employees will enjoy the peace of mind and security that you have wisely provided for them. You will be able to keep up your rent and utility payments. You will be able to put your people to work again doing useful things even if they are no longer meeting with your clients face-to-face.

You will also be prepared to go after a second round of funding too. This will most likely happen if stay-at-home orders, quarantines or marshal law are declared in your area. All in all, you will be appreciated for leading your charity in a crisis and protecting its capacity to complete its mission now and in the years to come. I'm excited to work with you to make this happen. To get started, use the Buy Now button below.

Buy Now