Tips for Working Out of Your Home

These suggestions were offered by Charlene Canape, author of “The Part-Time Solution” (Harper & Row, 1990, $18.95) and by others working in home-based businesses:

* Convey a professional image by investing in an answering machine and a second business phone line, a fax machine and good-looking stationery and business cards.

* If you have children at home, set ground rules about when you’re available to them--and when you’re not.

* Check out the local laws and zoning regulations to make sure your business is allowed at home.

* Get professional financial advice both to help you set up workable systems and to ensure appropriate tax planning.

* Set up a telephone log. It may be useful in helping you bill for your time, and it also helps you see how you’re allocating your time.

* Create a routine you can stick to. Pick times to start and stop working.

* Don’t get cut off from your colleagues. Have one conversation a day with someone in your field and be sure to schedule lunches with work contacts. Keep up professional memberships and attend conferences when you can.

* Learn to say no to friends and to your spouse. Learn to say, “I’m working today, so I won’t be able to do that.”