ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603290019
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALICE BREDIN THE NEW YORK TIMES
Three years ago, Sandy Baird left the corporate world and set up a public relations company in her San Diego home. It was a good move. Her business is thriving, and her life has never been better.
Except for one thing. ``There are definitely times,'' Baird said, ``that you are happy to see the UPS delivery man.''
She was joking, but isolation is a widespread problem for people who work at home. While office-bound employees may covet the hours of uninterrupted time that home-based workers have, those hours can eventually become oppressive.
Left untended, isolation also can cause professional problems, leading at-home workers to lose focus, procrastinate, get depressed and even go under.
``I regularly work with clients whose business ideas never become reality because a lack of input made them prey to their greatest fears and doubts,'' said Katherine Crowley, a therapist in New York who specializes in the problems of the self-employed. ``We need social contact to maintain energy levels, generate ideas and maintain perspective.''
Nevertheless, many home-based workers remain cooped up and alone, going no further than, say, drinking coffee to combat the lethargy that isolation can induce.
Why? Many at-home workers think they can't afford the time for more elaborate efforts. Ron King, who runs a marketing business in Concord, N.H., used to think that way, but he has learned over time that the reverse is true: unremedied isolation cuts into productivity.
``If I spend all of my time at home, I actually waste time, because I'll obsess about something and be unproductive,'' King said. His solution is to take many short breaks that invigorate him, including walking his dog in a place where he sees lots of people.
Isolation may also go unaddressed because at-home workers think it can be remedied only by radical measures, like going back to the office. But, in fact, simple changes in routine, like King's, can help greatly.
Baird, for example, keeps isolation at bay by exercising three times a week outside the home and eating lunch occasionally in a crowded local deli. Here are other ways to break the tedium:
Turn on the radio. Most people are not used to complete silence; extended periods of quiet can lead to unease. So play the radio quietly during the day, keeping the volume high enough that you hear a murmur, but low enough that clients cannot hear it when they call.
Join a business support group. These groups, which may focus on home businesses, small businesses or other enterprises, often advertise in local newspapers and conduct regular meetings. Small support groups often grow out of larger, more formal meetings organized by trade associations or business groups.
To find a list of these groups, consult the Gale Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Associations in your library. You also can contact a national group you are familiar with and inquire about local chapters. If you cannot find a support group, form your own.
Schedule two business lunches a week. Besides helping with isolation, lunch dates are good for networking and marketing. Even nonbusiness lunches help.
``Being in the presence of other people, even if you don't talk about business, stimulates fresh ideas and provides you with perspective,'' Crowley said.
There are many other ways to break isolation. Teach a class at the local community college. Do volunteer work; many charitable organizations are happy to have as little as an hour a week of your time. Or simply go where you can see people. A trip to a health club or a crowded store can infuse you with energy.
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