NFIB

Home Alone
10/ 21/ 2002

by Doug McPherson

If engineers had designed computers to look more like humans, then loneliness might not be such a plague for home-based workers. No such luck.

"Humans, like other primates, are, in general, wired to be social," says John R. Rifkin, a licensed clinical psychologist in Boulder, Colo.

Though Jennifer Heinly, owner of public relations consulting firm J&J Consulting, admits that she's occasionally lonely, she mostly enjoys her solitude.

"As the mother of a very active first grader, I need this alone time to re-energize while she's at school," says the Orange County, Calif.-based business owner, who also schedules time away from home to take yoga classes and play tennis.

For lonely home-based workers, Heinly suggests starting your own professional group of nearby people who work in related professions. She helped start a group of independent PR consultants who meet monthly for breakfast.

"Meeting outside the home is an absolute necessity. Successful home-based business owners find opportunities for face-to-face contact with clients and potential clients," says personal coach and author Susan RoAne.

It's easy for home-based business owners to rely on technology for all outside contact. But RoAne warns against letting it become a substitute for social interaction. "You can meet people over the Internet now, but there's nothing like a real handshake and laughter with another person," says RoAne.

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This article originally appeared in the October/November 2002 issue of MyBusiness magazine.

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