1. Try to have a flexible schedule.
It is common for companies these days to offer telecommuting positions to their employees. You can do your job at home for a day or two and report to the office for the remainder of the working week. It is considered a benefit. But telecommuting is at hand to actually help firms cut costs. So it’s a win-win-win solution for you, the company, and your kids.

As a parent, having a flexible schedule will be an advantage to you as you can have some time with your kids.

2. Free your weekends.
When it comes to work, consider Saturdays and Sundays holy and free. These are the best times to go out with your family or simply bond with your children. You can watch their weekend soccer or basketball games, play videogames, read great books together, watch movies, and other activities you may never get to do when you are working. This way, you will also notice that you feel refreshed the following Monday.

3. Leave your work at the office.
If you are reporting to an office, make it a point to not bring any workload at home. Consider it a sacred place where you can relax. This also helps you free up some time before going to bed and talk to your kids about school and their personal lives. You will also feel de-stressed. If you really really need to bring your job at home, check tip number four below.

4. Consider working at home.
Check the Internet. There are already plenty of work-at-home jobs you can take. This allows you to set up a home office where you can immediately check your kids anytime you like. But you should still detach your working time with your kids’ time. You can do this by separating your workspace from the rest of the house. Have a wall divider or a customized door and tell your kids you should not be disturbed on a certain time because you are working. For more of this, read tip number five below.

5. Work when it is time to do so.
You will never get to have anything done if you constantly allow your children to disturb you when you are working. Unless it is an absolute emergency, make sure your working time is focused on the tasks at hand. This way, you do not end up extending your working hours.

6. Develop a schedule.
As much as possible, allocate a good time to be with your children every day. It does not have to be long. In fact, 1 hour is already enough. After all, the most important is the quality of time, not the quantity.

7. Be sweet.
You don’t have to do anything grand just to tell your kids you love them. Before going to work, a note posted on the refrigerator, a hearty breakfast once they wake up, or a short stroll on the park on the way to school will be enough to make them feel you have not forgotten them.

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Over 100 million people will be telecommuters.
Based on the report by Star Workforce Solutions last January 2009, more than 100 million Americans will be telecommuters for the first years of the new decade. This statistic will continue to rise, and the days the employees are out of the office will become much longer.

More employers are considering telecommuting.
Despite the popularity of telecommuting, thousands of employers still maintain an office, and employees are required to come to the office every day. Business owners are just making sure that their staffs are working for them.

Well, starting this year it may be quite different. Over 48 percent of employers surveyed by Gartner in 2009 said they are planning of incorporating work-at-home schedules into their corporate lifestyle. After all, 23 percent of the respondents are confident they can look forward to lowering their office, electricity, internet, maintenance, and rental budgets.

Telecommuting will be added as a benefit to workers, similar to what big-time companies like Yahoo and Qualcomm have been doing.

There will be more green jobs available.
It is time to add one more expertise or field on your list: green jobs. Because of issues about climate change, global warming, and health and wellness – which are, interestingly two very huge industries these days – people have become more interested about going green. On the other hand, entrepreneurs want to tap into this growing niche market using the skills of telecommuters.

Employers will search for specialization.
Smorgasbord writers may want to start thinking which fields they do well. Employers will start looking for “specialists.” These are people who are considered experts in their chosen niche – and companies will be adamant in looking for proofs.

Competition has been tough among Internet marketers as hundreds join online commerce almost daily. To make sure they can get the most attention from Internet users, they have to offer something very unique.

Remote office centers will be more in demand.
Technologies play a big role in the flourishing of telecommuting, and with the continuous rise of demand from business owners, they need to have the right equipment and tools as soon as possible without spending a lot of money.

Thus, they operate in remote offices. These are similar to corporate buildings. The only difference is that telecommuters rent the space on hourly, weekly, or monthly basis. They can make use of the facilities – from the Internet connection to computers, printers and fax machines. Of course, they are given their own respective cubicles. This way, telecommuters can provide the best kind of service to their employers.

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There are plenty of reasons why many workers prefer telecommuting. Topping the list is the fact that it cuts back at almost everything: transportation, food, and taxes, to name a few. You also have more control over the amount of time you spend on your desk and your personal life. A lot of telecommuters gush about how much this trend allows them to pick or continue on their hobbies and meet friends and family for lunch or dinner. Telecommuting also gives you a chance to determine how much you want to earn. After all, as long as you work hard, you can earn much more.

However, not everyone finds telecommuting the ultimate utopia. As to why, you may want to take a look at the four reasons below:

1. You don’t enjoy certain benefits.
Yes, when you work in an office, you are taxed, report to work early, and sometimes have to deal with office politics. Nevertheless, you enjoy benefits too, such as insurance plans, free trips to other places, trainings and seminars, a well-designed cubicle, allowances, and even a pension account. Unless your boss is very generous—and such a rare breed—you will never get any of these. Your income will usually equal to how much effort you put on the job.

2. For beginners – you don’t have free time all the time.
If you are one of those who think you can grab beers every night with friends when you are telecommuting, well, you are up for a major letdown. It is not common for people to spend close to 24 hours on their desk, especially when they are basically starting out. They have to search for their own clients, do the projects by themselves, and build their portfolio.

3. You tend to get used to it.
Some people no longer meet up with their friends and family since they can easily update them about their lives in social networking websites such as Facebook. They do not have to sit down in cafes because instant messengers are already available.

Because of the deep attachment to the Internet, a number of telecommuters tend to get used to this convenient lifestyle and, in the process, let their personal relationships suffer.

4. Your job does not end.
When you are working in an office, you have the option to leave your work at the cubicle. You can put your papers at your desk so personal life begins once you leave the workplace. That is not the case in telecommuting. Your house will be your office for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

Is telecommuting worth it? Unless you share the same opinion as the list above, then it is not in your case.

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