How to create a better office environment with furniture, supplies, and products

I recently heard from Cocoa; a company that introduced the Jot-It desktop writing board this summer. Being an office junkie I’ve seen my fair share of dry erase boards. Is there anyway to get excited about one more?

Well, the nice folks at Cocoa sent me one to take a look at – after reviewing the Jot-It and the Cocoa website I have to say that this desktop writing system has some features going for it that are unique.

The product:

• The Jot-It is a 12x11 slanted board that sits on your desk.
• It’s made up of a clear dry erase writing surface that nestles into a sleek frame.
• Three printed and two blank templates are included as is a low-odor EXPO dry erase marker.
• Available in black, clear, and white.

How it works:

There’s a flat writing board that nestles into the frame. The writing board area is white and has a clear lift-up cover. You simply slide a template under the clear cover and then you can jot away with your dry erase marker. The frame has an integrated marker tray at the back to store your marker.

Cocoa Jot-It pros:

• I really like the frame. The website describes it as stylish and in this case it actually is. It’s nice and streamlined looking and has smooth edges – you can have this sitting out in plain view and it won’t make your desk unattractive or cluttered looking at all. That’s a bonus because I cannot work if messy looking stuff is in my area. The bottom is non-slip. 
• When I first opened the box it was late and I was in the middle of a move but it went from box to set up in about a minute. Easy! I do love easy.
• The Jot-It comes with some nice templates.

1. A basic to-do list (with call back area).
2. An eight section planner (sort of a grid template).
3. A this week calendar with note section.

The templates are good if you need some basics to get you going. I’ve been trying it with my own because I already have a general weekly to-do list template I made on my computer.

Cocoa notes that additional templates can be downloaded from their website but I couldn’t find them. (I looked).

One, I might have missed them – it happens. Two, the only basic template you might want that’s not already included is a monthly calendar which anyone can make using your computer so it wasn’t too big deal.

One thing of note about the templates. Cocoa puts their logo on them and I usually frown on that but Cocoa’s logo is nice; small tidy, green. I’ve been looking at it all week and it’s pleasant.

• The marker!!! Three exclamation points is right. The marker is so great. I LOVE it. It’s extra long; not short like most EXPO pens and the eraser actually works. The marker is super fine tip and there’s a nice rubber grip area.

Environmental pros:

It’s no big secret I’m green obsessed. This product has some great eco-friendly advantages.

Their eco-mission is to:

• “Design products that help you better care for the earth;
• Use sustainably produced and / or appropriately recycled raw materials to manufacture our products;
• Purchase certified carbon credits to offset the carbon we utilize in our operations and in the products we produce”

This product will allow you to cut down on paper use and eliminates all those pads of paper you keep around for quick notes. I really like that.

Cons:

• Extra pens are not available for purchase at the Cocoa website. I did however find them at the EXPO website. 
• Mobility: It’s not too mobile. Every time I went to move it the top tray slides down – if you move too fast that tray could go flying and possibly crack. It’s not meant to be a mobile deal. It is supposed to sit on your desk but I move stuff on my desk all the time (and I bet you do too).
• It’s set up to be perfect if you use horizontal templates. I don’t; the weekly calendar I use is vertical. I set the frame on my desk sideways and tried it – it’s not bad but not quite as good as if you had a choice of horizontal vs. vertical slant.

On the fence:

I emailed Cocoa and told them I felt it was too big for my desk. I recently switched out my HUGE desk for a tiny desk. They noted that they are working on a design that’s smaller. I don’t think smaller would be useful to me because I am busy. I need to a lot of space for my to-do list each week.

Anyhow long story short; I decided to set in on my desk for a few extra days and see how I feel. So far it’s not been an issue. I like a clear desk but this takes up less room than I first thought it might.

Related to this is the fact that this is not simply a desktop deal. You could nicely use it in your phone area to jot down messages or in your kitchen for grocery lists. It’s multifunctional.

Wrap-Up:

I usually do much shorter reviews but I really like this product. I think that the usability combined with the eco-factors make it a writing board you really need.

The pros on this one far outweigh the cons.

I like the company too they are just plain nice. Most companies aren’t going to be rude when they want you to review their product but this company actually comes across as friendly from their website as well; not just their emails.

They have fun stuff like downloadable paper airplanes and a page where you can nominate and recognize excellent citizens. These are the kinds of small touches that separate the better companies in my opinion. Very down to earth.

Supposedly Cocoa is coming out with more products; as noted by their site and if I were you I’d stay tuned because I’m betting that other products from Cocoa will be just as useful and people friendly as the Jot-It.

Check out the Jot-It for yourself it’s well priced and available at the Cocoa website and at Target.com.