270 - Friday Workboxes - Which one is for me?

The Friday Workboxes are changing people’s lives. Organizing your home-based business or “passion project” has never been easier. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions!

If you’re new to our Friday Workboxes, you’re probably wondering which one is right for you. I discussed this topic in episode 250 of the podcast, where I talked about how to work your workbox. So, if you want to learn more about how to use your Friday Workbox to its maximum efficiency, I recommend you listen to that episode either before or after this one.

In this week’s episode, I introduce you to Michelle P. She's the one who answers the majority of the customer service questions we get here at Organize 365. Have a question about workboxes? Go to Michelle!

Want to know how you can sign-up for All-Access Membership? Go to Michelle!

You get the idea… she’s basically my question answering wing-woman!

With the Friday Workboxes, you’ve got seven to choose from (an eighth will be added towards the end of spring/early summer, so keep an eye out for that!). A lot of the time, we get questions like, “Which workbox is right for me?”

If you’re not sure which workbox is right for you, check out this handy flow chart!

But even with the Workbox Flow Chart, you might think that your business doesn’t really fit into any one box. Maybe it could fit into two or even three boxes. To clear up some of the confusion and to help you identify which Friday Workbox is right for you and your needs, Michelle and I have taken the time to answer some of your questions. Here goes…

Should I buy multiple workboxes?

Whether you’re a business owner, a home-school teacher, or a busy stay-at-home mom, you’re likely wearing more than one hat. I wouldn’t advise that you buy three boxes and start them all at the same time. Take it slow. Start with one box. Get good at it. Then, when you’re ready, move onto the next one.

The more organized you get, the more productive you’ll become. Think about it as if you’re growing your organizational muscles. As you start to live a more organized life, you’ll naturally want to carry the same systems over to your business.

Yes, you may need to use more than one workbox. But don’t bite off more than you can chew. Take one step at a time and work your way up.

So, here are a few of the main questions we answered in the podcast (make sure you tune into the full episode to hear them all!)

As a realtor, I have lots of clients with lots of files. But, I’m not sure how to organize my existing clients. Should I have a pink slash pocket for each client?

Let’s start with the basics for this one. Each Workbox comes with a basket. It’s essentially a foldable box that comes in 10 different colors. You’ll also get colored slash pockets like plastic binder inserts with tabs on them.

The 1.0 slash pockets come in red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

The 2.0 slash pockets come with five of each color and include pink, purple, blue and green. Each color follows a formula, and most are business related.

So, to answer this question…

The pink slash pocket is perfect for leads and marketing.

And, the purple slash pocket is for your existing clients with a contract.

Keep them separate. You’re not going to get a gold medal for both of these areas of your business. You’re either a pro at getting leads. Or you’re really good with customers. Dividing the two into separate slash pockets helps you to categorize people into one or the other.

You should always have leads in your pipeline and once a lead transitions into a paying customer, you can move that person from the pink slash pocket to the purple slash pocket.

If I’m a caregiver and a trustee that handles all of the medical condition and administrative details to run the house, are these projects and which workbox should they be in?

In this case, you don’t need a workbox. You need a Sunday Basket that comes with a medical and financial binder.

Why?

Well, you’re taking over the entire estate. You’re responsible for the household duties and the day-to-day care of that person. You can keep all of the mail in the Sunday Basket and go through it all with them when they’re ready. Most things will find a home in the medical binder or the financial binder.

I have a Teacher Workbox and I'm getting my husband the Corporate Workbox. He works one week a month at their office in another state. Should he get two workboxes or carry folders with him when he is at the other office?

If you or someone you know is in a similar situation as this customer, Michelle’s advice to you is to get a second workbox. But don’t carry the second workbox back and forth with you as you travel from one state to the next. Leave it in the second office.

Although, you will need to carry the slash pockets with you because you don’t want to duplicate those!

I’m an independent sales rep and considered to be self-employed. But, the companies I work for handle marketing and some lead generation. I looked at the flowchart and I'm not sure which workbox I should buy.

Finding the right workbox in this situation depends on what type of product you’re selling. If it’s a physical product, the Direct Sales Friday Box will be perfect for you.

However, if you’re a service-based provider, the Professional Organizer’s Friday Box one might be more suited to your needs.

I own a music teaching business and bought the curriculum and training from another company. I also homeschool, so which workbox should I purchase?

If you’re not part of a franchise, the Direct Sales Box is ideal for you. Of course, if you’re also home-schooling, you’ll need to pick up the Homeschool Friday Box, too. This will help you to create a system to organize all of the paperwork associated with homeschooling.

For my rental business, I need the Entrepreneur Workbox. However, I’m also part of our onboarding and other HR administrative tasks. Will I need one or two Corporate Workboxes?

The Corporate Friday Workbox is for you if you work a traditional corporate job and are craving organization in your workplace. But sometimes, you might need more than one Corporate Friday Box to organize and manage different aspects of the job.

You could also buy one complete set and divide your slash pockets by color. Assign a color to your administrative tasks and another to your project, etc. This makes it easy to stay on top of things.

So, which workbox is right for you?

Trying to figure out which Friday Workbox is right for you is the first hurdle. But once you’ve found the right Friday Workbox for you, I promise you’ll be well on your way toward leading a more organized and productive work life.

To hear all of the questions and answers we went through, make sure you tune into the podcast!

If you’ve already started using a Friday Workbox to help organize your work, let me know how you’re getting on! Follow me on Instagram and tag me @organize365 or using #organize365 so I can see your photos! Don’t forget to join the Facebook group for more great organizing tips!