Summerville mother Stacie Fuss has the best of both worlds. She works part time as a recruiter for a company based in Ohio but still has time to volunteer at her daughters’ school and as a Girl Scout troop leader. Because she works from home, Fuss has the flexibility to integrate work and family life.

“It’s difficult to do it all, but it’s worth it,” Fuss says. “When I was working full time, I was working 9- and 10-hour days. Doing this works out really well. I’m not making near as much money, but it’s enough to help the household, and I’m home with the girls.”

Fuss has been working from home for four years. Now that her daughters, ages 5 and 7, are in school, the workday is slightly less hectic than when she had two toddlers to care for while working.

She still enjoys being able to pick them up from school, run to activities and even squeeze in a few errands during the day without kids fighting over who gets to ride in the shopping chart, she says.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15.1 percent of workers worked at home in 2004. Census data from 1980 shows only 2.3 percent worked at home; 3 percent in 1990 and 3.3 percent in 2000. That number is rising, no doubt thanks to technology, as many workers need just a computer and Internet access to get their jobs done.

Tom Jeffrey spent a couple of years working from home as a freelance copywriter. His youngest son – a toddler at the time – was home with him during the day. Jeffrey says he “lived for nap time” so he could get work done.

Jeffrey now works in a Charleston office as a partner with advertising agency Hook Inc. Jeffrey says he likes an office environment – he has more stories to tell when he gets home, other than “the cat coughed up a hairball today,” he says. But says he misses the freedom of being able to escape to the park on a warm day.

Like anything, working from home has its benefits – checking e-mail in flannel pants and slippers – and its downsides – it can get lonely working alone all day.

Charleston area professional organizer Stacey Crew, mom to two children ages 8 and 11, knows all too well how important it is to stay organized and focused while working from home. She works from home assisting clients with organizational needs, writing her blog “The Organized Mama” and finishing a book, “The Organized Mom,” due out in November.

One of the challenges of working from home is separating work life and home life because the two tend to blur, she says. It’s easy to get distracted by laundry or dirty dishes.

“It can be tough to set boundaries when your office is down the hall from your bedroom, and you’re tempted to check e-mail at all hours of the day,” she says.

Crew offered some tips for making the most of working from home:

• Set goals: At the beginning of each week, determine what you want to accomplish that week. That will help you judge your time and give you a better idea of what to expect during the week.

• Multitask: Instead of taking time away from your workday to run errands, wait until you pick the kids up from school and then stop by the bank and the dry cleaners. Crew says she keeps bottled water and snacks in her car to save time. “Don’t shield kids from the responsibilities mom has.”

• Create a dedicated workspace: Whether it’s a separate room or a desk in the den, create a space just for your work items.

• Set some office hours: You may even want to shut the door to your home office at 5 p.m. or on Friday evening so you’re sure to take a break.

• To-do list vs. calendar: Keep a running list of things you need to do and then, based on their level of importance, put a few on your calendar each day.

• Make the most of nap time. If you’re working at home while caring for small children, schedule phone calls and work that requires your complete focus during naps. Give your children at least 30 minutes of undivided attention, and they’ll most likely play quietly while you check e-mail or tackle other small tasks.

• Get out: Working from home can be isolating. Schedule time during the week to meet a friend for lunch, attend a professional networking function or take your laptop to Starbucks just to have some human interaction.

Jeffrey says he used a drop-in day-care service where he could leave his son for two hours three days a week. Knowing he had that time available made it much easier to schedule meetings.

“Try to get some kind of set schedule,” he says. “A routine is the saving grace.”

Fuss has worked hard to set boundaries. She’ll put in a few extra hours after the girls go to bed, but she rarely works on the weekends, instead devoting that time to her family.

Yet even working some evenings is worth it for Fuss.

“I have been very spoiled,” she says. “I don’t get to be as big a part of their lives if I go back to work [in an office] full time. It’s extremely rewarding if you can do both, and it’s nice to have the flexibility.”