More and more employees are telecommuting, or working outside of the traditional corporate office. In fact, in 2005, 22.2 million Americans worked from home or another out-of-office location at least one day per week. (Source: www.forbes.com 07/27/06). And, it is estimated that 100 million U.S. workers will telecommute by 2010. (Source: Kiplinger, 12/00).

These trends do not only apply to part-time or flex jobs; increasingly, corporate employees who traditionally worked full-time in the office are being given the option of working virtual some of the time. With the increasing fuel prices, now more than ever before is a great time to try telecommuting, if an option.

For many people, working from home offers much more flexiblity, since there is no morning commute and no office dress code, etc. However, too much freedom is not always a good thing as most of us respond well under structure.

Below are some tips for telecommuting and better managing your virtual office space:

• Get up at the same time each morning, regardless of whether you are working from home or in the office. This will keep you in a routine and will not throw off sleep patterns depending on where you are working on any given day. While it is tempting to get up later than normal on virtual days, that can seriously throw your body and mind into confusion over what day it even is, if you are sleeping as if it were a Saturday morning on a Monday.
• Stick to the same morning routine, even when virtual. Again, structure and routine are important and help keep you grounded and ready for the work day.
• Resist the temptation to stay in your pajamas all day; instead, get dressed in presenatable casual or business casual. It's important to feel the part, no matter where you are. That being said, you are doing yourself no favors by trying to act the part of a professional when in your sweats and slippers.
• Get out of the house during the course of the day, whether it be to work out prior to the start of the day or to go out for lunch. No matter how engrossing your work, it's not healthy to be housebound all of the time. If you cannot take a break during the day, be sure to step out some in the evening.
• Make sure that it is seamless for your colleagues as to whether you are virtual or in the office. Set up your home office so that you can make necessary long distance calls whenever needed. Also, be just as responsive when working virtual as you would be when in the office. Aside from your colleagues not being able to see you in your cube, you otherwise want to make the work day the same as if you were there.

• Be honest with yourself. If you are not getting what you should be doing done during the work day, then perhaps working virtual is not for you. Some people are not cut out for the discipline required to telecommute on a regular basis. If you have tried it out and are frequently distracted by things like the television or washing dishes, then you may be a better employee at the office.
• Treat working from home as a privilege, and respect it as such.

With more and more employees working virtual each year, it is important that we all learn to make adjustments to these new working conditions. Good luck.