BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : SEPTEMBER 18, 2000 ISSUE
WORKING LIFE Work at Home? First, Get Real Often, visions of time and freedom are quickly dashed Every day, moms and dads quit their jobs in the hope of becoming part of that popular image of the work-at-home parent, the one where they are smiling at the computer while their adorable little baby crawls underfoot. I wish I could tell you that this picture squares with reality. But it doesn't. In fact, it's pure fantasy. Last November, after 12 years as a full-time Washington correspondent for BUSINESS WEEK, I resigned to become a freelance writer, setting up shop in my basement. I wanted to spend more time with my daughter, Kristina, who was then 5. But like many who had made this move before me, I had unrealistic expectations about how much I could accomplish with only a carpet commute. Of the 37.8 million households with dependent children, there are 11.6 million that have at least one parent who works from home, says International Data Corp., based in Framingham, Mass., which provides market data on information technology. For parents out there who are thinking of trading in their power suits for sweatsuits, managing expectations is critical. Figure out at the start how you can spend more time with your child. Will you need a reduced workload? Are you also looking for a better quality of life, with a spectrum of other activities, such as more time at the gym? Or do you simply plan to transfer a full-time workload to a home office? To help you plan, here are 10 tips for the prospective at-home working parent: NO WORK, NO PAY. If you telecommute with a regular salary, you may have time to play with your child, get a haircut, and putter in your garden. But if you plan to be a free agent, remember: Money coming in depends directly on doing the work. Yes, you can put in a load of wash while your PC is booting up. But every hour you spend running errands means lost income. BEWARE THE 24-7 WEEK. The great advantage of working at home is that you can work at 3 a.m. if necessary. That's the disadvantage, too--work is always there. It's hard to turn down jobs that will bring in money, and it's hard to pit your child's needs against those of your clients. But if you don't set limits, there's no point being home. ''When my daughter was 12, she wrote a message on my [computer] screen because she knew that's where I looked: 'Can you please pick me up?' That's when I knew it was bad,'' recalls Lisa Roberts, who runs www.en-parent.com. ESTABLISH A ROUTINE. Thought you were leaving behind scheduled meetings and set hours? The choices that come with being home can be overwhelming, so set regular hours. That could mean working from 9 a.m. to noon, taking the rest of the day off to go to the gym and care for kids, then working again from 9 p.m. to midnight. Or work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and take Fridays off for chores and downtime. Your life can turn chaotic unless you stick to a schedule that's as predictable as the office was. ALLOW FOR EMERGENCIES. Routines are great, but they can easily fall apart. Plan for the unplanned--such as a child's illness. I had daydreamed that if my child fell ill, I would read aloud by her bedside and feed her chicken soup. But when Kristina was sick on the same day a work assignment was due, she had to spend several hours upstairs by herself, miserable. If you pace your work, you can keep mini-disasters to a minimum. BE REALISTIC ABOUT MONEY. Whatever your lowball earnings projections are, deduct 20% just to be safe. Unless you're telecommuting for an employer, you're probably forgoing health insurance, retirement-plan contributions, paid vacations, and expense accounts. Calculate conservatively the time you can put in. I thought I could easily work 25 hours a week--9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an hour off a day for errands. I underestimated the time it took for chores, doctors' visits, and other responsibilities. JUST SAY NO. So you want to be president of the PTA? Becoming an integral part of your child's school may seem alluring from the distance of your downtown office. But volunteering can eat into your paid hours. Valerie Finberg, a Boulder (Colo.) mother of two--who, until recently, worked at home full time as a management consultant--ran a book program for her child's class. ''I was a miserable failure at it,'' she says. ''It required constant attention.'' So volunteer for an occasional field trip, but be careful not to overcommit. DON'T FIRE THE NANNY. If you have a baby or toddler, you may be able to get some work done during nap time, but not much. The best bet is to hire a part-time sitter if you have young children and want to get in extra hours without working at 3 a.m. I set my office hours while my daughter is in school, giving her my full attention at other times. But that doesn't always work. I recently had to schedule a phone interview while my daughter was home with a play date. The six-year-olds promised not to interrupt unless there was an emergency. The emergency? They wanted candy NOW. GET EVEN MORE REINFORCEMENTS. When I left my full-time job, I let the nanny go without realizing how much housework I would have to take on. Besides caring for Kristina, she had folded my daughter's laundry, cleaned her room, and straightened the family room. I spent the first hour of every workday on those chores. But I could earn more--and reduce my stress--by adding a second day for a cleaning person. As Roberts writes in How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof: ''Take the time you would have spent, say, cleaning the house or mowing the lawn, and earn money at something you are really good at.'' GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. You would think that Jeralynn Burke, 42, would know something about stress reduction. Burke, of Des Plaines, Ill., runs E-scent-ials, a Web site that sells aromatherapy products. A year ago, she suffered from palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pains. Between caring for two preschoolers, running her house, and setting up her home business, she hadn't taken a day off from work for eight months. ''Now, I'm taking some time off each day,'' she says, ''even if it's 15 minutes sitting on the porch with a cup of tea.'' GET OUT AND ABOUT. For me, the first few weeks of working at home were euphoric. Without the distractions of the office, my productivity soared. But then I started talking to myself for prolonged periods. I was suffering from isolation--a common affliction of the at-home worker. So, despite the pressures, see a friend for lunch. Meet a client face-to-face even if it would be quicker to do business by phone. Most important: Don't forget why you wanted to become a work-at-home parent. The chance to test new skills, build a business, and assert more control over your life are all important goals. But strengthening bonds with your children tops the list. As long as you're prepared, you can find that right balance. By Susan B. Garland in Bethesda, Md. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS The New Debate over Working Moms TABLE: What Price Success? Nannies on Speed Dial TABLE: Mommy Inc. Work at Home? First, Get Real TABLE: Advice from the Front INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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