Who Works at Home, Why, and How You Can Join Them How ...

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Homeward Bound Dan McNeill and Paul Freiberger 18 COMPUTE!
□ Homeward Bound Working at home, personal computer in front ofyou, is increasingly common. Who's working at home, why, and how can you join them? Imagine it. You roll out of bed in the morn ing, pour yourself a mug of coffee, pad 20 feet away, and begin your workday. While others creak along the freeway, listening to frantic disc jockeys and watching for brain-damaged motorists, you are serenely putting in an hour of sol id work. You continue in high focus, without inter ruption. By 5:00, when office workers are sliding behind the wheel and steeling themselves for The Long Ride Home, you've accomplished more than they have. While they're slamming on brake pedals and glaring at other drivers, you're relaxing on your deck, enjoying the warm evening breeze and con templating which restaurant to honor with your custom. Working at home seems idyllic, and it's becom ing more and more common, thanks to the personal computer. By placing a full spectrum of powers right on your desktop, the computer has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of people to earn their livelihood without even leaving their front door. "Lifestyle is one of the major reasons people go into it." says Julian Cohen, chairman of the Ameri can Home Business Association in Darien. Con necticut. "They feel they're good at what they do. and don't want management." Of course, working at home has a host of other advantages. What follows covers only a few of them. Efficiency "Efficiency is the main benefit," says Gene Beisman, president of Beisman Asso ciates, a Malibu engineering firm specializing in construction costs. "I've worked in a variety of en vironments, from a big city office building to a large construction camp on Bougainville, and the ar rangement I've had for the past eight years of work ing out of my home has proven to be the most efficient one of all. There's just no question in my mind that it's a very good way to work." Rosalind Gold, policy planner at California To morrow, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, agrees. "When I have multiple projects going on at once and I really need to focus on one of them, it's easier to do that at home. At work, all your other coworkers are there and there are social distractions, as well as the distractions of phone calls on other projects." "You have the chance to make optimum use of your lime." says Robert Polevoi, a San Francisco at torney and legal writer who recently completed the major treatise "Federal Taxation of Oil and Gas" at his home. "At an office, there's a tendency to take as much time on a project as you can get away with." Longer Work Day Home workers avoid the blank time of commute, as well as twisted nerves and the incredible show of miscreants shout ing at each other from behind glass. Says software author Alan Cooper president of Cooper Software Development, "Not having a commute is a major psychic advantage. I've got it all over people who have to drive across a bridge." Polevoi adds, "Just cutting out the commute saved me 1V2-2 hours a day." Reduced Expenses For the seif-employed. a home office saves on rent. Today, most clients no longer find home offices surprising, though occasionally it happens. Gene Beisman once had the experience. "The client was a little upset that someone putting together a $2 million claim didn't have a formal office," he says. "I told him, 'If you want me to charge you an extra $40,000, I'll get one.'" Flexibility Working at home makes you master of your schedule. "Flexibility is very, very important," says Polevoi. "I found I could fit in things when I wanted to do them, such as cultural interests." Sometimes in the evenings, Cooper does a little work during commercials. "So instead of watching TV for a couple of hours, I watch TV for a couple of hours and get 20 minutes of work done. It makes me feel better." Live Where You Want Beisman, who lives high atop the mountains with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean, says, "Work ing at home has given me the flexibility to live in Malibu." When you don't have to commute every day, you can live further afield. Comfort At the office, you must accept the workspace you're given—it can be a small, bare, and cheerless place. At home, you can create your own environment and make it much more comfort able. You can also dress as you please, eat when you want, work to music, or relax with an occasional Computer game, continued on page 22 AUGUST 19 19
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