20 Keyboard Shortcuts Every Freelancer Needs

Freelance writing is one of those jobs that usually pays by the amount of work you can get done, not the amount of hours you work. Thus you have to be able to do as much as you can to cut down your work time if you want to do really well in this business. That is where keyboard shortcuts come into play. These simply little devices can shave a ton of time off your typing, and they can help you work as effectively as possible. You will inevitably use some of the same commands over and over while you write. These just give you an easier way to go about executing them. Every second you save is just more money in your pocket. Here are 20 keyboard shortcuts every freelancer should know about:

• Ctrl+C: Copy
• Ctrl+V: Paste
• Ctrl+S: Save (works for documents, emails, and more)
• Ctrl+A: Select all (highlights everything on a page)
• Ctrl+F: Find (works on MS Word, Notepad, and most web browsers)
• Ctrl+H: Replace (works on MS Word and Notepad)
• Ctrl+B: Bold (turns to "bookmark" in web browsers)
• Ctrl+I: Italicize
• Ctrl+U: Underline
• Ctrl+T: New tab in web browser
• Ctrl+N: New page (works in text editors and web browsers)
• Ctrl+Z: Undo (probably my favorite command)
• Ctrl+X: Cut
• Ctrl+Enter: Page break
• Shift+Enter: Single line break
• Shift+F7: Thesaurus (only in MS Word)
• Tab: Next section of a form on a web browser
• Backspace: "Go back" on web browsers
• Ctrl+Alt+Delete: Shuts down computer or pulls up task bar
• F5: Refresh a page on a web browser

There are tons of other keyboard shortcuts you may find use out of. Those are just the ones that I us on a fairly regular basis. Here are a few links to give you an idea of the sheer magnitude of shortcuts out there: Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts, Internet Explorer keyboard shortcuts, and Firefox keyboard shortcuts.

How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts is fairly simple, depending on what you are doing at the time. If you are trying to copy, paste, or do something along those lines, you will need to first highlight whatever it is you want to use the command on. Then you can just hit your shortcut to execute the command. Example:

If I want to copy the word "awesome" in this sentence, I would first highlight awesome and then hit Ctrl+C. Then if I want to paste it, I would hit Ctrl+V to produce: awesome. Try it yourself and see what you think.

For keyboard shortcuts related to web browsers, you need to make sure you have clicked somewhere on the page to be able to execute the command. If your mouse is stationed in your address bar, hitting backspace will only cause you to get rid of a letter in the bar. If you hit backspace after clicking somewhere generic on a page, you will be taken back to the page you were at right before.

Play around with keyboard shortcuts in your online college courses so you get used to them. Once you make them a habit, you will be able to write much faster. I probably save two minutes an article or more just in using shortcuts. That may not sound like much, but it is when I'm writing 30+ articles a day. I literally get an extra hour of work in a day just by using shortcuts. Believe me when I say they are truly beneficial for this kind of work.

How to Format an Article for the Web

Writing for the web is a lot different than writing for a college course or an essay scholarship. With internet writing, you have to keep the search engines and the readers in mind at the same time. While there is no set formula you have to abide by, there are some things you can do to structure an effective article online. I have developed a rhythm to my writing over the years that makes constructing articles incredibly easy. If you develop a similar rhythm, you may find yourself pumping out articles much quicker than you used to. Here is a guide to help you properly format an article for the web.

Introduction

Every good article has some sort of introduction. It allows the reader to get prepared for the information that is about to come, rather than getting slammed with it right away. A lot of writers try to throw facts, steps, or other information like that in the intro of their articles, but that doesn't allow for a good flow in their writing. Try to come up with a way to lead into the body of your article without spending a ton of time introducing it. Define a term, ask a question, or do something else to bring up the topics you are about to discuss. Then you can bring on the facts in the body of the article.

I usually make my introductions about 100 words, depending on the size of the article itself. If there is a keyword that my clients want me to use in my article, I try to put it in the first sentence or the thesis sentence of my introduction. That is something I've learned from just about every internet marketer I've worked with, so there's obviously a positive SEO effect from that.

Finally, I conclude my intro with some sort of summary of what is to come in an article. "Here is a look at…" "Listed below are…" "The guide below will…" All of those little sentences make my articles easier to read. Check out my previous posts and you'll see that I do this almost every time. You probably didn't even notice it.

Body

I'm a huge fan of subheadings, so I try to use them in everything I write. I had one client long ago that actually wouldn't allow me to use subheadings, and it drove me nuts. If you have the chance to use subheadings in the body of your articles, do so. This makes the articles easier to read. If you have a keyword for the article, use it in at least one of the subheadings. If you're writing a how to guide, make sure you write "Step 1 - Bla Bla…" or something along those lines. Just break down the article in a way that it will be easiest to glance through on the reading end.

I typically make my body paragraphs 75 to 125 words a piece, depending on the content I need to cover in them. If you see yourself getting to that 160-ish word count, you may want to consider breaking the paragraph in two. Try to incorporate your keyword at least once in the body of the article, preferably toward the middle. Then you will be able to move on to the conclusion.

Conclusion

Not every web article needs a conclusion, but it is nice to throw one at the end to sum everything up. Insert your keyword one more time, and leave the reader with a farewell message to keep in mind. This will probably only take about 50 words, but you can make it up to 100. Then read over your writing to make sure everything flows well. If you structured your article correctly, you should have a reader- and internet-friendly piece of work that your clients can immediately post on the web.

How to Use oDesk to Find Work

oDesk is a great site to use if you plan to pursue a career in freelance writing. It is a place where contractors and clients can come together to conduct work and process payments. I got my start on oDesk, and I have used it to find many of my best paying clients. It wasn't until recently though that I learned how to truly use it to my advantage. I you are going to try finding work through oDesk, you need to maximize your efforts on there. Here is a look at some of the many things you can do to gain clients through oDesk.

Create an Account

Before you can do much of anything, you are going to need to create an account. This doesn't take long to do, but you will be asked a lot of personal information along the way. That is because the money that you make on oDesk is going to have to be reported on your taxes at the end of the year. oDesk needs a lot of information, like your social security number, to make that happen. You just have to trust that this is a secure site and do what it takes to create an account.

Take Some Tests

Before you can actually apply for a job, you will need to take the oDesk Readiness Test. This is a simple test that just makes sure you know how to use oDesk correctly. If you don't pass the first time, you will have a chance to take it again. All of the answers are given to you on the test though, so you should have no trouble passing it the first time.

Once you get through that test, you will have a chance to take other tests as well. You should take a few tests related to writing so you can show employers your skills. This is something I actually need to do more of because I only took one or two tests when I started this three years ago. The spelling tests and vocabulary tests are fairly easy, but you can look for others that you may do well with. The more tests you take and pass, the more applications you will be able to fill out. Doing this will also enhance your chances of getting hired for work later on.

Complete Your Profile

Try to fill out as much of your profile as possible so employers will be able to find you easier. Upload some of your past work if you have any, and fill out your resume based on your experiences. If you have a degree from Ashworth University or a similar college, put that in your resume. Try to input your skills as much as possible as that will be a way for employers to come find you. The last several jobs I received on oDesk all came from employers who found me in the system. I didn't have to apply for anything. If you have a complete enough profile, you may have a similar experience in the future.

Apply for Jobs

When you have everything in place for work, you can actually go about finding jobs on oDesk. Go to the "Find Work" tab and see which options show up on your home page. If you want to look for more, select one of the categories on the left of the page. Then you can look over jobs that were recently posted and apply for ones you like. Look at the expected pay for the job so you don't bid on something that pays too low for you. You can narrow your options based on the kinds of work you want to do, and then you will have a small list of jobs to apply to. If you look around enough, you should have no issue finding work on this site.

5 Sites Every Freelancer Should Know about

As a freelancer, there are certain sites you are going to come across many many times throughout your career. I actually didn't start making money until I came across a few of these sites, so I thought I would save you the trial and error by revealing them here. The five websites listed below may help you jump start your career in freelance writing. At the very least, they may prove to be vital bookmarks in your web browser. Here are five sites that every freelancer should know about.

1 - oDesk

oDesk is a free website that allows you to bid on freelance work and potentially pick up new clients for steady employment. My very first writing job came from oDesk, and that led to literally thousands of others from my past and present. While I don't exclusively use Desk to find work anymore, I do still use it as a starting ground for finding new employers. My three main clients right now actually came from oDesk at one point in time. I didn't even have to apply for work with them. They came to me asking for my services. If you build up a good reputation on there, you can easily find enough work to pay the bills.

Note that you can find more than just writing jobs on there. There are tons of customer service and administrative assistant jobs that you may like as well. You just have to look around at the job postings and see what you may qualify for.

2 - Copyscape

Copyscape is a site that you can go to when you need to check an article for plagiarism. This may seem silly to use if you know you don't plagiarize your work, but it is still nice to know about. Most likely all of your clients are going to use Copyscape on your work, so you may as well be familiar with how it works. I actually use Copyscape to check my own work if I am asked to rewire an article because it helps me see if I have accidentally used the same wording that someone else has. If something comes back copied, I can fix it before my clients see it.

You will have to pay $.05 per run on Copyscape, but that is money you can write off your taxes at the end of the year. It is a business expense after all. You will have to buy 100 runs to start, so just plan to have $5.00 if you want to use the site.

3 - PayPal

PayPal is the safest way to manage money on the web, and it is a place you will definitely need to know about if you work online. If you work on oDesk, you can use PayPal to transfer your oDesk money from your account to your bank. You could also get paid directly through PayPal if you wanted to. That is what I do with all of my clients because it's fast, convenient, and even free in some cases. It just depends on the way a client sends me money. It won't cost you anything to setup a PayPal account, and you won't regret it the second you do so. I guarantee it.

4 - Dropbox

Dropbox is a file transfer program that you can use to send large files to your clients. I use to have a client that I made a ton of YouTube videos for, and they were simply too large for me to send to him in an email. We just passed everything through Dropbox, and it saved everyone a lot of stress in the end. All you have to do is download the Dropbox on your computer, and then you can drop and drag files to it whenever you need to transfer them. You can share different folders with different people, but you can manage it all from one giant folder. There are free and paid versions of this, so just look at your different options to see what works for you.

5 - Skype

Skype is a free internet communication platform that allows you to call people directly on the web as opposed to using the phone. Skype also has instant messaging and video chat built in, so you can speak to people however you need to. Every client I have ever had used Skype to speak with people in one way or another. In fact, one of my primary clients at the moment manages all of his writers on there. Since it is free to use, you might as well have it on your computer.

I actually don't like using Skype, just because it distracts me from work. Nevertheless, I can't deny the convenience of it. Check this out, along with the other sites above, and you should be on your way to a successful career as a freelance writer.