It’s often quicker to use the keyboard than to find the pointer and set it to where I need. Some examples are closing tab and opening tabs. Say I need to search for something related to a page I’m on but I don’t want to change the current page. I use these keys: Ctrl T to open a new tab, then TAB over to my search box to type my search.

Believe me, that was longer to type than to execute. And quicker than using the mouse. The reason it beats the mouse is because there’s no need to reorient yourself. I’m already on the keyboard. I don’t have to navigate anywhere to find the tab or button to add a new page. I don’t have to reposition the cursor to the search box to start typing.

My Most Used Shortcuts

It doesn’t save you a ton of time. Instead it shaves seconds in actual implementation. But seconds matter too.

Do you want to know how to move between site tabs? Ctrl TAB moves you left to right, one tab at a time. Ctrl SHIFT TAB will take you back.

Following are some that work in Firefox for sure; you’ll have to experiment with Explorer. But they are mostly windows shortcuts so some should work the same.

• Ctrl F4 closes the tab you’re on
• Ctrl + (that is plus sign) increases the font on the page you’re viewing
• Ctrl – (that is the minus/hyphen sign) decreases the font on the page you’re viewing
• Ctrl F opens a dialogue box in the lower right of your page. It works like word processing find tools to get you to the exact location of the term you need to read about.
• Ctrl H opens the history so you can search for the page you accidentally closed before you read it
• Ctrl P opens your print dialogue box
• Ctrl U reveals the web page code. (I tried this in Explorer—doesn’t work)

Do you prefer keyboard shortcuts when you can use them? Maybe you could add to my very short list. What shortcuts do you find useful?

Three Ingredients

Choose: It doesn’t work with indecision, hedging your bets or any form of hesitation. You have to commit. A friend told me once that he read or heard that when you make one step, the universe makes three, or something to that effect.

Faith: One way to shore up your commitment to the choices you make is to have faith. Trust that you made a the best choice.

Gratitude: In all things be grateful, is what I was taught as a child. It’s a powerful salve and reinforcement. Gratitude has an interesting way of soothing your bumps and bruises along the way, shortening your time in sorrows. Gratitude can help you see the lessons learned even if you don’t get all that you want.

These are the three ingredients that are at the heart of what I use to work through my plans. Obviously, you can use an one without the others. However, if you want the full benefit, do all three. Try them out and see how they work for you. Let me know what happens for you. I’ll share my experience in an upcoming post.

What do you do to keep moving forward? Have you found what works for you to keep working on your goals?

I don’t have a set number yet. The reason this question is a bonus is because I’m forcing myself to do this hard part. I wanted to say that I don’t pursue leads at all. I can’t say it because it’s too early in my freelance career. And, it’s too early because I think it will always be something I’m open to in case I come across a job I really want.

I really just do it according to my workload. If I have time to follow up on leads then I will do as many as five in a day. As long as I can effectively write my letters. And I watch for deadline conflicts to avoid any possible problems.

As soon as I saw the query free information from Jennifer Mattern, I started reading it, because I like the idea of not querying. Then some jobs came in that took all my working time and that was more incentive to put off querying.

As of 2010, I will be pursuing query free work more aggressively. But that doesn’t mean that I will completely dismiss the pursuit of leads. When I have a formula I will post it and update this question with new developments.

It’s very hard for me to terminate employers. But some situations make it necessary and therefore a little easier to say good-bye.

Three Things I guard Against

1. Clients who always want jobs other than what I do. I once had a client ask me three times if I did graphic design, even going so far as to ask, “You sure you don’t do…?” That was a glaring indicator that we might not do well together.
2. Clients who insist that they are paying too much for the work that I do. I’m careful about what I charge, and I don’t intimidate easily. And when I add to that, the fact that I respect others’ rates, I really have no patience for this one. If I can’t pay it, it’s because I don’t have enough money. The last thing I’d consider is that they are too expensive.
3. Clients who can’t be clear about what they want until several drafts in. Sometimes it’s alright. But repeatedly getting jobs that are not fully thought out can be a real time-suck, and a bit frustrating.

These are my Big Three. And they aren’t hard fast rules, more of a guide. I don’t want to be caught flatfooted. Keeping these indicators in mind, help me to know when to say when.

A Caveat

In the second point, about rates, I don’t tell people they’re too expensive for one good reason: if they’re getting their asking rate then they must not be overpriced. So when I shop around for any service, just like goods, I shop around for the best value for my wallet.

Do you have trouble terminating employers? What are three things that can cause you to make the decision to separate?

I think it’s really important to know what motivates you about what you do. Often you can get caught up in a person or a project or a company, veer off track and end up very far from what you started doing. It’s also possible that the same circumstances can have the effect of causing you great distress, negative stress, and you wonder why you continue.

That’s when it’s really important to have your personal motivations in place. They may be the only incentives you have to draw on as impetus to continue. My suggestion is that you keep it simple and keep it meaningful to you.

How I know My Answer

For this post I listed the work I do and the tasks involved in each. There are surely things that I’ve forgotten, since I work from home and am focused on making things happen. So I may skip the phone call or email to get a question answered. I may skip the image cropping and optimization at 2 sized for pages. But this time, I listed enough to see the common thread that I knew was there.

I really like puzzles. I have all my life. My jobs are simple but they require fitting things together to make something useful, something cohesive. Writing, web design, blog setup, all require making things work together.

Where I take My Joy

I never wanted to be a secretary, which I was for many years. It’s a facilitator position that I did very well at–most days.

But I wanted more autonomy in creating. Today I get to do that and it keeps me contentedly occupied, even the hard parts. Designing websites puts me in touch with new things all the time. I have much to learn because I’m so new at it but I enjoy it a lot. I set up this blog, so that it’s very closely coordinated with the site I built for work, The Word ‘Mage.

Writing will always be a pleasure. Site content is generally a compilation of research notes I’ve gathered or been given. Making sense of new information and translating it to comprehensible, cohesive facts, with opinions of the client is truly an art form that I appreciate. It’s hard work and it’s fast work. And when it comes out right I’m thrilled.

I take my joy in the processes of writing, designing, and setting up things that people can use. With each area, there is the pleasure of learning new skills to enhance my productivity.

All of them could be done just for me. I actually have several blogs set up that I write at. I enjoy the work I do and the tasks related to accomplishing them. But that’s only part of the experience. The rest of the story: I take joy in producing something that my client finds useful.

Never. That’s the answer, period. There are times when you can really be pressed to maintain your composure. But understanding and appreciating the nuances of the situation can help you greatly.

Recognize the Implications of Making Changes

• Clients can present you with detailed or simple changes in the middle of your project. These changes can throw you off your whole schedule. Remember that a delay for you is ultimately a delay for your client. Rarely do clients sabotage themselves.
• Consider that your client may not know your job and what’s involved. And with that, they may not understand what all goes into “small” or “quick” changes. Explain in detail what’s involved, and encourage clients to give you all the details at once.
• If requested changes push back your completion date, be sure to explain to your client. Just remember to always be polite.

Give Clients the Benefit of the Doubt

Your clients aren’t difficult necessarily. It’s the circumstances around the project that may put them on edge. Consider that people generally don’t pay for things that are unimportant. They’ve probably got you working an important piece for their company, and they just want to get it right. Usually, that’s what behind changes, not done frivolously or just to tweak your nerves.

What’s Your Problem?

Your work is impacted by your personal business to some extent as well. They can affect your feelings and by relation your interactions with others. Be mindful of your stresses and concerns.

Benefits of Patience

It really doesn’t matter what size business you work with; it all comes down to people. These people have job duties and personal responsibilities that impact their composure, just like you. Remember these things and remain composed for your clients. It makes work go more smoothly than releasing bad tempers and harsh words.

Bad tempers and angry words are a breeding ground for misunderstanding. I don’t know why it works that way but I find that people seem to turn off and are disinclined to be creative thinkers for coming to solutions.

Also, you likely won’t get fired for being calm; whereas bad tempers and rudeness can cost you jobs.

Your clients will appreciate it even if they don’t say it at the time. And more importantly, they will remember it down the line, when they consider you for other important work. You can consider being polite an investment in your future.

Cavaet

One last thing: Polite doesn’t mean wimp. Handle your business, work with your client. And when you find you can’t work with them, you may have to fire them, but be polite.

Can you think of times when you wish you’d been polite? Don’t you hate when you get angry aloud only to find out that you misunderstood something? Or, do you know of an instance when you would sacrifice being polite?

I’ve got another short answer for you, because this situation requires concise action. No one wants to think “I can’t,” especially when they’re freelancing. It almost feels like you’re telling the client, “I won’t do it. And, please don’t ask for anything more.”

Unless that’s what you’re saying, your situation is not that fatal.

There was one time when I couldn’t complete a job. The situation was extreme for me. But the worst part was that I kept thinking I can pull this off. Finally, I was given an ultimatum deadline. After the date given, the client would find an alternative source. Several things made it easier to survive the embarrassment:

• He was very gracious about it because we were long-time friends
• He knew the trauma that lead me to being unable to complete the job
• He already knew of someone who was available to do the job

Maintaining Integrity

There was still the problem of me having to face myself after the fact. I had declined at the last hour, and he said it was fine. Everyone won’t know me or my circumstance. My life should not be a factor, as I’m providing a service not a friendship. As a result of that experience and the goals of how I want to do business, I learned some important things to keep in mind:

1. I need to know my limitations even in traumatic situations
2. Get help, and review thoroughly any work that I subcontract
3. If necessary, cancel the job with the person who hired me

The reason I say it’s not a fatal situation is because I consider what would be my reaction. I might be frustrated but not at the person. I’m always saying that life stuff just keeps happening. I’d be more concerned that I needed to find alternative resources to keep to my schedule than making the worker feel like crap.

Getting Others to do Your Work

If you know your human resources, then you may already know the person who can complete this job. If you contact your client with this information, be sure that you’ve talked to the service provider first. Check their availability and willingness to do the job. And if you are to remain the intermediary between the client and your replacement provider, be sure to check the work before you submit it.

Be sure to check your work and others’ work before you submit it.

I could put that in all caps. Some mistakes are fixable. The error of not checking is bad business.

When I was editing, I’d receive work from writers who, after there was a problem, stated that their other writers actually did the work. They further stated that they’d submitting the work without having checked the writers’ documents. That’s a big no-no. As the one submitting, you have to check the work, no matter who wrote it.

And, if you have writers you’re subcontracting to, don’t offer them up when mistakes are found, like that will excuse not checking the work. Especially if you’ve never before mentioned them.

The Best Lesson from My Work Experience

Remember, since you don’t know what the client is like until faced with the situation, look to yourself as the constant. Be honest, be forthright, be prompt in whatever you have to do. Maintaining integrity and an honest work ethic is what will see you through.

Ask!

I know, you probably thought there would be this long, drawn out explanation with a sophisticated magical formula for executing the act of securing an extension and assistance. Well, there’s no need.

More Information

Often I start out with more information than I will need. Still, if I have a question, or need more information, I can generally get what I need especially if it helps me meet deadlines. If you have a need, don’t hesitate, make the request. The sooner you get what you need, the safer you’ll be for meeting that target finish date.

Extensions

The last thing I want to do is delay a client. I’ve lost sleep to meet my deadlines. I missed one deadline a few years ago, and the awful feeling is really motivation forever, to stick to my deadlines. I don’t miss often, and I never miss deadlines easily. If you must ask for an extension, do it and make it a good reason. It’s just good business to be on time.

What Helps

Get a detailed picture of the project from your client before you get started on the work. They and you need to know what to expect as much as possible.

Understanding the details of the project or the particular stage of the project is half the initial work. It’s critical to know your resources, know your limitations. I need to have the tools to do the job, or know that I can get them. What I can’t do I will say, immediately.

For example, writing a brochure and designing though very closely related don’t go together for me. So, when asked, I tell clients I don’t design but I know who does. Believe me, your clients will appreciate you for it.

Caveat

By the way, you don’t need to make referrals. If you know someone really though, it may benefit everyone, your client, the designer and you. Understand that designing is an important and potentially expensive investment. If you don’t really know the designer and their work, you may not want to say a name. Whether you vouch for them or not, you’ll be the person your client thinks of when things go south.

Have you ever had times when you just can’t work out the next phase of your project? How about this: you stare at the screen and your notes and your tasks list, and you can’t decide which way to go. If it sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And, you should know right off, it’s not nearly as bad as it feels.

Following are some things that I have in my arcenal that have helped me through the roadblocks that I’ve come to. I thought they might help you to.

Why Am I Stalled?

It’s important to get to the heart of the matter, know what puts the brakes on for you. The way to get going again is to figure out what’s giving you the red light, and move it out of the way.

Simple Solutions are What’s Needed

Some things you can do to be ready for work, and use after things get stalled.

• Order tasks to get them done expeditiously
• If you’re dragging on one project and have time and space, take a break and switch to another one.
• Take breaks to stretch in place or take a walk around your office, as time permits
• Sometimes it’s a case of exhaustion; get more rest
• Eat energy foods for lunch
• A nap before lunch can go a long way for afternoon stamina
• For physical ailments, it may take more investigation but get to the root of the problem

You can try these when you have more time to get rejuvenated, to get going again.

• Meditation: dismiss thoughts of your project; especially if it’s full of too many thoughts overlapping your work thoughts
• Physical Activity: vigorous activity increases endorphins which can improve alertness
• Drinking water: replenishes your body and can improve alertness; I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how good it is for you
• Switching tasks: to keep yourself fresh, take a break from your task when time permits
• Journaling: to get a clear perspective on your life. When you can’t shake personal things that threaten major distractions, sometimes it helps to write through them
• Slow down: You need to get your head back in the game. Automatic pilot can take you out of place and allow your mind to wander to places not immediately useful. It happens that way for me. Slowing down actually helps to re-focus on work. Being in the moment with your work is quite productive
• Take time to think: This is a big one. Many people don’t write thinking on their to-do lists. And the rules of conventional employment condition us to think our hands should not be free to accomplish this. Guess what, it’s a good idea to stop moving, working, performing and just think

If you have tips for getting through your sluggish times, please share them here or in your blog, with a link back.

You may want to read:

• The Effects of Exercise on the Brain
• writing life: 7 strategies to keep going
• healthy habits for writers

Review

There’s really a lot involved in the work search process. I have to decide who I’m going to query, what work sites to visit, and what type of work I want to do next. I review work sites bookmarked already and search for others I might like. Review my protocols. It’s important for me to keep my routines current. That way, when I’m working on an assignment, the routine stuff stays that way, routine, and doesn’t make me hesitate. Right now, I have a routine for searching out article topics and submitting that I’m working up.

Study

Keeping up with writing trends is top of my list. I review my books on editing and writing, read related blogs and websites. New things I’m learning get more time when I’m between assignments. Website coding, graphics, JavaScript are just a few that are on the front burner these days. I do them to learn about them.

Practice

Between assignments, I increase my work on personal projects, like the book(s) in my head, my blogs, poetry, even emails. I tend to write longer messages when I have time. Sometimes, I write letters to people that I don’t send. It’s a practice that I read about in one of my writing books and I do it for fun. Finally, I write articles for practice. Sometimes I focus on speed, sometimes on the research. You can see the usefulness of this practice, right? There are other things I do for me, when I’m not on assignment. One is reading for fun. I include in this, any reading that is not assigned or directly related to work. It doesn’t matter the genre. Also on this list are increased meditation, photography, drawing and social media activities .

Why So Much  Structure Between Assignments?

It’s a matter of having as much planned as I can. That way, it’s easier to roll with what comes up unexpectedly. In the unexpected group are the activities that come up with family and friends. Yes, I do make time for those events, too. Oh, and my favorite activity of all—doing nothing at all. I try to plan all my off–duty activities efficiently, so that I can maximize my free time. Sometimes it’s really nice to just sit and be, without any agenda. And between assignments, I have more times when I can do that when I plan my free time. I’d like to know what you do between assignments? Do you keep structure or completely let go?

So, What is it I Fear?

What do You do About It?

There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

How many times have you heard that? A gazillion, right? Well there’s a reason it’s so popular: It’s simply true most of the times. It’s an optimistic way of looking at everything in life.

If you can’t get it one way, there’s almost always another way to make a software program do what you need. If you’re not seeing what you need in a photo, there’s another way that you can set your camera to force the outcome. If it’s film, you may be able to catch it in the developing.

No, Not a Jack of All Trades

Some people think that because they are one thing, that’s all they have to be. Really, though, nothing is further from the truth. In daily life, it’s almost counterproductive to be only the one thing you say you are. Certainly, trying to live and work that way can be quite constraining.

I want to focus specifically on writers—you’re surprised, I know—but you can really apply it to any line of work you’re in. Let’s look at just a couple of related areas where learning their basics can improve your work life:

• Computer – Learn how to turn it on and off the right way, how to attach and remove keyboards, mouses, USB flash drives. More than this may require an IT Guru, but if your keyboard fries, trust me unless the company requires it, you don’t want to have to make a big deal and create a time-suck getting on the help list.
• Applications – If you can’t type, learn. If you can type, so much the better, since you’re writer and typing is what you’ll be doing. Learn how to open and close applications, save documents to desired locations, email a document in the body of a message or as an attachment
• Coding – If you’re uploading to the internet, directly into a company site, (this doesn’t often happen), it’s good to know about how to format your text with HTML codes. Usually documents are submitted and the website will code as needed. Knowing the basics can make it easier for you to work with code people. For example, you don’t format title text in HTML. This is usually done in CSS when you indicate the heading as ‘<h1, 2, or 3>’ as desired
• Platforms – Computers use PC or Mac operating systems [OS]. Knowing one will make it easy if you should ever need to migrate to the other. Your favorite software may behave a little differently on the platform different from yours. At least if you know this, you can be on guard for what might be different

What’s the Goal?

Do you need degrees in everything? Certainly not. The idea is to be able to do your job fully. Say you’re a writer. It will help you immeasurably to be able to put on your editor’s hat and revise your drafts. It saves time and frustration for you and your client/employer, when you don’t have to return to the same document countless times before it’s done.

Doing all that you can with a work in the basics of writing, allows more times for other things. Some of the things that can occur are creative and content changes. When the entire or large portions of the focus of the piece must be changed, you’ll be glad that you don’t have to focus on the mechanics of getting the writing done.

I am such a strong believer in that, until I include it in my resume. You’d be surprised how many times employers pointed out that it was an important piece of what they were looking for. They often made mention of how often candidates didn’t offer that piece.

As a writer, you can’t need grammar guidance, basic resource guidance, basic editing input. At least, not if you want to be taken seriously. In any job you pursue, there are core skills you’ll need to execute your tasks efficiently. Learn what they are and master them. If you can do that before you ask for the job then so much the better. If not, and you’re willing to learn on the job, present that as part of your attractiveness to the employer.

For freelancers, short term jobs may not offer this leeway. In that case, pick a different job. Because, you don’t want to waste anybody’s time/money. And that’s your only recourse because lying (fudging) is not an option.

A Little Extra Helps Everyone

Again, it can help in many professions to be able to perform more than your hired skill-set. We’re talking about writers because that is what I know. A close relation to this job is secretary and administrative assistant. I know these professions can also benefit from the extras discussed here.

Above, I listed four areas and why they can help you. Writers have broad particulars for how they write. For poetry, I rarely start a poem on computer. My preference is to write it longhand first. If I only wrote poetry, I still would need to type. Well, unless I only wrote it for me and never submitted or posted to a website or anything. And if, I was sure that my handwriting was good enough for me to return to it years later and still be able to read what I’d written and not have to guess.

I heard of a writer who insisted that typing was horrible and counter productive for creativity. She actually insisted on writing an entire novel draft longhand. The first person she sent it to, sent it back with a letter. She said that there were expletives in it. I never saw the letter so I can’t say for certain. But I know I wasn’t surprised. And apparently, she couldn’t be talked out of this by her friends and peers.

What is a little extra?

If you’re a writer, look at your skills almost as a jumping-off point. Just a little more will have you sailing along.

• Learn how to type. Repeated for emphasis, but I don’t really want to call it extra. If you’re serious about writing, more importantly if you want others to take you and your writing seriously you need to know how to type, seriously.
• Learn how to save files to locations other than the desktop. If you’re on a computer that doesn’t allow you to save, know how to get your work.
  • Save it to a flash drive. Know what a flash drive is. Also known as: Travel drive, USB drive, jump drive, and a few other names I can’t put
  • Know how to paste it into the body of an email if you can’t save it to send to yourself
  • If you can save documents only temporarily until your done, remember to delete the file and empty the trash. (If you don’t know what that means in computer-speak, you have a little work to do.)
• Learn how to maneuver in the admin area. If you want to say yes to these types of assignments, get familiar with the applications beforehand, starting with the most popular. Two of the more popular content management systems [CMS] are Joomla! and WordPress. Depending on your work, you may even need some knowledge of cPanel.
• Joomla is very powerful and a little complicated to use. WordPress started out as a blogging platform and is quickly evolving to a formidable content management system. Learn either one that you need. Or, to be really versatile, learn them both.
• Get internet-savvy if your not already. Develop your core resources links and keep them at hand. Get a Gmail account and set up a Google document with all the links you need. There are a few ways to get this done, but a Gmail email account is a very powerful tool to have in your arsenal. You will grow into all that it can do for you.
• Keep your personal email account personal. On my last job, I needed a Gmail account so I set up another one for work purposes. There’s no reason to mix your work email with your personal stuff and it shouldn’t be done.

These are just a few tips that will improve your job experience. They should increase your productivity, measurably, in time saved and money earned.

Who is Everyone?

Everyone involved is you: increasing your income and free time. Your boss: increasing his content in a timely manner. Your family: increasing the time you can spend with them, the things you can provide, and the better disposition as a result of being satisfied with your job. And, unless this is your first job ever, you know that’s a big  bonus.

Happy projections include an increased client base as word of your professionalism and skill gets around.

You’ve heard these things before, yes? Perhaps you’ve heard of other things too. Share your experiences if you’ve implemented these ideas in your work life. If you get some ideas here, I’d love to hear how they work out for you.

Think of Your Company

Think of Yourself

• Well-trained
• Cross-trained
• Trainable
• Interested in training

1. Cross-training means gaining more knowledge, skills. You have to know that’s invaluable. If you don’t get to use your mad skills with this company, there will be others who will want you.
2. Cross-training means earning more money. As you become more valuable to your company, you increase your standing for pay raises. If you do multiple jobs, you may not double your salary, but being cross-trained is a good argument for increased pay
3. Cross-training means that you get to do something different from time to time. Even your favorite job can get a little stale after a while, especially if your work is really specialized. Putting on a different hat can change your perspective and give you a little break from the drudgery of “The Same Old Thing.”

Related reading:
• 6 skills to increase your marketability

The Job isn’t Coming

Have a Sense of Urgency

Tools to Help You

More About Your Website

1. Have an obvious and clear CONTACT page – On your contact page, include your preferred email contact, and a phone number and snail mail if you choose. You can include a form that anticipates questions or requests that may be asked of you.
2. Have a blog – This will allow room for exchange of ideas. And if you leave it open to the public, you can develop a great community that can share ideas in this open form of communications.