Separation Anxiety

By Carolyn Campbell

Maintain the balance in your life by keeping your family andbusiness apart.

The idea of running a home business is enticing. There's the30-second commute to your desk, the casual dress code, and thefreedom to choose your break time.

Yet there's also the challenge of being in two places atonce. Experts and home entrepreneurs suggest that separating thetwo environments can help you avoid a constant tug of war betweenhome and office. The following ideas may help improve efficiencyand reduce stress in both your home and home office.

1. Physically separate your home and office. LionelFisher, an Ocean Park, Washington, freelance writer and author ofOn Your Own: A Guide To Working Happily, Productively andSuccessfully from Home (see "Worth Reading"), statesthat the most important element in working productively at home isto create a workplace that is solely that--a place of work."When you walk into your office, it signifies that you are atwork," he says. "When you leave, you are no longerworking."

Both Fisher and Ellen Parlapiano, a homebased entrepreneur inScars-dale, New York, and co-author of Mompreneurs: AMother's Practical Step-By-Step Guide To Work-At-HomeSuccess (see "Worth Reading"), feel that a separateroom with a door offers the most easily distinguishable separation."You can close the door at the end of work hours to remindyourself you are stopping work to devote time to your family,"says Parlapiano.

If your workplace is a dining-room table or an armchair duringcertain hours of the day, you can maximize success by mentalcommuting. "Draw an imaginary line around thatspace," says Fisher, "and drum into your consciousnessthat when you're there, you're there to work."

Dividing home and business phone calls also contributes toprofessionalism. Many home offices have two telephone lines oridentify business calls with a double ring.

Salt Lake City's Steve Osborne, a homebased author,recommends buying a phone with a "mute" button. Thesebuttons, which block any sound on your end from being heard bybusiness callers, can preserve your professional image. SaysOsborne, "No matter how well you train your family to tiptoepast your office and speak in whispers, it's inevitable thatsomething potentially embarrassing will happen. Mute buttons areworth their weight in gold."

2. Prioritize working hours and family time. For aconscientious home entrepreneur, a 9-to-5 office schedule can windup being 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.--with Saturdays thrown in for goodmeasure. While budding home entrepreneurs may be inclined to work"all the time" and take calls around the clock, theylater discover that setting office hours helps them spend qualitytime at both work and home.

"Be a self-starter--and a self stopper," saysParlapiano. "Harness the discipline you utilized to get yourbusiness going to keep that same business from running yourlife." She suggests resisting the temptation to open businessmail or to network online on weekends. "Think about leavingyour laptop and cellular phone at home when you go to yourchild's soccer game," she says.

3. Set boundaries and establish expectations. Osborne isonly half-kidding when he advises home-business owners to remainaloof with family members and others who tend to interrupt yourwork "unless they're bleeding or on fire," he says."To survive and prosper as a homebased business owner, youmust be brutally disciplined with yourself, and expect your familyto be disciplined in the way they treat you when you'reworking." He suggests that home-business owners set rules,inform family members what those rules are, and insist that theyabide by them, explaining that a home business is not a game, but aserious issue of financial survival.

4. Use rituals to help you make the transition. "Tryusing a simple ritual to make the transition to work as easy aspossible," Fisher advises, recalling the story of ahome-business owner who prepares her first cup of coffee while shelets her dog out each morning. When she finishes the coffee andlets the dog back in, that is her signal to begin working. Somepeople who work at home get up every morning and prepare themselvesas if leaving for work. Others have an absolute rule, such as"get up, shower and dress by 9 a.m."

5. Plan ahead for back-up help and extra hands in case of anemergency. When a child is sick, even the most effectivehome-office organization is threatened instantly. "As a homebusiness becomes successful, the owner realizes that there aretimes when he can't do it all," says Fisher. "Ask forhelp immediately when you need it."

Parlapiano suggests that work-at-home entrepreneurs build anextra day or two into deadlines. "If a project is due on thetenth, plan to finish it by the eighth--just so that you have twodays as a cushion against emergencies," she says. She furthersuggests making back-up child-care arrangements in advance. Homeentrepreneurs might also consider hiring a temporary officeassistant on peak occasions to complete routine tasks.

If it's your home life that's falling behind schedule,you may want to hire some household help rather than use officetime for home chores.

6. Give yourself a break from both environments. RichardShaw, owner of Cineclean Publishing in Kenilworth, Utah, a companythat provides literature for building-maintenance organizations,operates his business in a series of blocks of time. Shaw workshard until noon--then takes an hour to run errands or have lunch ata restaurant. "The physical activity spurs new ideas, so whenI return, I'm like a new person starting a new day," hesays.

"It's smart to get away from your place of businessonce in a while," says Fisher. "Promise yourself thatwhen you finish three more pages, you can do somethingreally interesting, like go jogging or take the dog for awalk. If you don't have a reason for going out, inventone." Remember that there are three vital components tobalance: office, home and family, and personal time.

Carolyn Campbell, a home-office entrepreneur for 20 years,has written more than 200 magazine articles.