EnTrends

Like most people, when you think about
what it would be like to work from home,
you probably think of the obvious

benefits such as working your own hours,
not having to face a stressful, tedious
commute every day, actually seeing what

your garden looks like in daylight hours,
not having to answer to a boss, being
home when your children are, working

in a comfortable environment and so on.
These are, of course, some of only many
wonderful benefits of working from

home.

Before long, though, you may begin to
think back to your previous life and realize
you actually miss those umpteen visitors
who were constantly interrupting you
when you were trying to work, the walk in
the park at lunchtime with your best work-
friend, drinks on Friday night after work,
and being able to run an idea past a
colleague for instant, valuable feedback.

Now, everything is just, well, quiet. And
there's no-one down the hall to go visit
who's over age four. You find yourself
checking your email constantly, wanting to
connect to someone. You find yourself
wishing the phone would ring. You! The
person who, when you worked in a job,
cursed constant telephone interruptions
and thought voice- and e-mail was the
greatest invention since sliced bread.

Welcome to another reality of home-based
business ... home alone.

Here are some ways to avoid the isolation
trap when running a business out of your
home:

ESTABLISH A STRUCTURE

Nothing is surer to reinforce feelings of
isolation as time that stretches as far as the
eye can see like a straight, one lane
highway through a flat, barren landscape.
Don't start each day without a plan of what
you intend to do. You need to structure
your time so that it is not some endlessly
vast terrain you must traverse alone. So
write a to-do list, preferably at the end of
the day before, so that when your work
day starts you get productive straight
away, before the isolation blues

have a chance to take hold.

REACH OUT

When writing your to-do list, make sure
you include at least two things every day
that require you to interact with another
person. Networking is a vital skill, whether
you work for someone else or for yourself.
So make contacts with people who can add
value to your business, as well as
connecting you with the outside world.

Joining a professional group or club,
attending seminars and trade shows
relevant to your business are all great
ways to meet new people who have similar
interests and challenges. Participate in the
activities organized by these groups and
take a good supply of business cards with
you.

ESTABLISH JOINT VENTURES

Another way to keep the isolation blues at
bay is to joint venture with other home-
based business owners. Team up with

other businesses that offer complementary
services to your business. Not only will
you send additional business each other's
way in the form of referrals, you are
establishing professional relationships
with your joint venture partners.

ORGANIZE YOUR OWN FUNCTIONS

Once you have joined various
associations and formed joint venture
partnerships, take the initiative and
organize functions that bring you all
together. These could be business-
oriented networking sessions or purely
social get-togethers such as a barbeque in
the local park. Either way, you are forging
a relationship with people in your new
arena, just as you did when you were
working in a corporate office. The only
difference is that now you must take the
initiative to forge these relationships.
These are not people you are going to be
seeing every day at the office.

JOIN A GYM

You are, of course, health conscious and
physically active, right? Of course you

are! So, why not kill two birds with one
stone ... stay fit and meet new people. If
you establish a routine that allows you to
be at the gym at the same time every day,
you will run into many of the same people
and get to know them.

USE THE INTERNET

Making online friends is another way of
staying connected with the outside world.
Be very disciplined here though. It's way
too easy to spend a lot of work time on
social email exchanges and in chat rooms.
Don't fritter away your time, but do seek
out and maintain internet friendships.

BACKGROUND NOISE

Sometimes, it's only silence that reminds
you you're alone. If you come from a
corporate environment, your workday was

punctuated by the constant background
noise of telephones ringing, other
people's conversations, hysterical
laughter from the other end of the office
and lunch trolley pages over the intercom
system. If you find absolute quiet
irksome, turn on the radio and have it
playing in the

background while you work. Talk stations
are good because it's like having other
people in the next room, but if you

find yourself becoming so engrossed with
the talk topics that you stop working and
start listening, switch to a music station.

There is no avoiding the fact that making
the transition from a corporate
environment to a home-based business is

just that ... a transition. Most people will
have to grapple with the isolation monster
in the early days of their work-from-home
career. But, as you can see, there are
many ways of keeping isolation and
loneliness at bay just by reaching out and
forming new associations. Remember,

just because you work alone doesn't mean
you have to go it alone.

Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based
Business Online ... practical home
business ideas for the work-from-home
entrepreneur. http://www.ahbbo.com