MIRACLE WORKERS

By LISA GRANATSTEIN

An eight-hour day once seemed like plenty of time to get the job done. But keeping up today means working nights and often weekends. The good news is that those late-night rendezvous with your office desktop need be only a 20-ft. commute from bedroom to study.

In the past two years, the tantalizing thought of swapping your suit for your sweats has become a reality, and the reason is simple: "Technology vendors are designing products and specifically promoting them to home-office customers," says IDC/Link's Ray Boggs. Not a bad idea, considering that a whopping 35 million American households have wired work spaces, with a projected annual growth rate of 8% through 2001.

For as little as $3,000 to $5,000, you can turn that spare room into a fully wired nerve center with top-drawer gear rivaling any at corporate HQ. Sound promising? Sure. But before you start ticking off those tax deductions, there are a couple of things to consider: What kind of work do you intend to do? How much space can you spare? Aside from your souped-up PC, you'll need an array of space-hogging peripherals like a printer and a scanner. Fortunately, companies like Brother, Canon and Xerox recently unveiled a new and improved class of multifunction printers (starting at $500) that combine the features of a scanner, a copier and a fax machine. "People never took delight in having 20 different cables going around the desk," says Envisioneering's Richard Doherty. "Now you have all-in-one peripherals and one or two cables to plug in, and you're finished." Tempting. But you'd better have a backup plan if, say, the scanner conks out, since the whole machine takes a trip to the repair shop.

Plan B may mean taking a break. Even though your study is supposed to be a "work zone," remember who's the boss. So while our wired guide supplies you with all the basics for being productive, we have also tossed in a pretty cool golf game, because we believe there's always time (and space) for fun.

--By Lisa Granatstein