Want More Time to Spend With Your Family? Try Working From Home

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Cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta have some of the worst traffic in the country. Depending on where you live, you can spend up to 10 hours a week or more commuting to and from work. But what if there was a way to get those 10-plus hours back? Imagine being able to spend that time with your kids, helping them with their homework, sitting down with them to a nice breakfast or lunch, or just talking with them about their day. An extra 10 hours a week would also give you more time to work out, spend quality time with your spouse, work on hobbies or even get more sleep.

One way you can convert your commuting time into family time is by working from home. More Americans than ever before are ditching their commutes and working at jobs that can be done from the comfort of their home offices, kitchen tables or living room sofas. And you can be one of them. Below, you’ll find some ideas for finding full or part time work that will allow you more freedom to travel with your kids, save your car some wear and tear, and maybe even help you find some time for yourself.

Working from home also has the added benefit of being better for the environment because of the decrease in the use of fossil fuels, and it can help keep you from having to miss work because of bad weather or when one of your kids gets sick.

Do a search for remote job openings.

Job listing sites like Indeed, LinkedIn and Zip Recruiter make searching for work-at-home jobs simple. Once you know what you’d like to do, type the type of job you are looking for into the site’s search bar followed by the word “remote.” Make sure you set your search’s geographic area to “anywhere” so your search results won’t be limited to jobs in your area. (After all, you’ll be working remotely so the location of the company isn’t that important.) Once you find a job you’re interested in, these sites also make it easy to upload your resume and fill out an application online.

Some job listing sites, like FlexJobs.com, SkipTheDrive.com and Remote.co only list remote job opportunities, so make sure to check those out as well.

Update your LinkedIn page.

Change the settings on your LinkedIn page to let recruiters know you’re open to being contacted about job openings. In the summary field at the top of your profile page, make sure to write a description of your background and skills, specifying that you are looking for remote opportunities.

Talk to your current employer.

Believe it or not, many employers these days are open to allowing their onsite employees to switch to working in a home office. Technologies like Skype and GoToMeeting make planning virtual meetings simple. And since many people are happier working from home, companies with a lot of employees working remotely often find that they have a lower turnover rate than companies employing only on-site workers. Many businesses also find that remote employees are more productive than those they have working in-house.

Think about starting your own business.

Are you a writer? A graphic designer? Do you have experience working as a software engineer or social media whiz? Maybe your background is in accounting? All of these skills and more translate well to a work-at-home lifestyle and can be the basis of a successful at-home business. Think about your experience and what you’d like to do for work, and how you would manage working in a home environment, then start developing a business plan.

There are several websites out there that can help you figure out what you need to do get your home-based business going. Many high schools and community colleges also offer free or low-cost adult learning courses aimed toward people who want to launch their own at-home business. Other resources can include state-funded job training centers, free courses at your local library, and classes offered by nonprofit organizations.

The best part about starting your own business, besides being able to make your own hours and no longer having to commute, is that there are usually very few up-front costs.

Don’t give up.

Finding the right at-home job, or starting an at-home business from scratch can take some time, but don’t be discouraged. According to 2018 U.S. Census data, more than 8 million people worked from home in 2017, more than 5 percent of the U.S. workforce, and that number is increasing every day.