Tech wary people who need organization in their lives may need the Jot-It by Cocoa Living. The simple dry erase system is an old school way of keeping organized and I had the chance to review it, promptly switching all my calendaring and notating events from my laptop. After several weeks, how am I doing? Read on to find out.
First things first, if you’re perpetually late, unorganized, or just prefer to “wing it”, then the Jot-It is not for you since you have to write things down. However if you’re a person who really wants to get things together but would just rather eschew the whole smartphone, PDA revolution then Jot-It is just the ticket.
What you get is a clear plastic sheet with rounded corners mounted on an angled stand for easy writing and glancing. The system includes a set of starter templates, each one laid out for various tasks. Examples are a calendar, weekly date book, and notes. The templates go underneath the clear plastic sheet from which you can write on with the included dry erase marker. It’s pretty simple but how is it in practice.
Okay first the good things. I found the transition from my laptop to an “analog” system like this was painless. I use the weekly date book sheet which includes an area for notes. I can see all the comings and goings of the week in just a glance and those unexpected requests from clients and coworkers find a home in the notes area. When the week’s over, I wipe the board clean and start over. As great as the digital era is, sometimes writing things down the old fashion way is the fastest way. The biggest plus is the eco-friendly tenure. Since you’re reusing templates, no paper gets thrown away which in turn saves trees. That’s a very important key factor in something like this over say, Post-it notes. Cocoa Living is a company all about creating products that are eco-friendly.
Okay now for the bad. The system isn’t as flexible as I’d like. I can only use one template at a time. The clear plastic sheet is too thick so my writing casts a shadow onto the template beneath. So depending on where you’re light source is coming from, text can go from shadowy to almost illegable. This definitely requires you have decent penmanship. The other problem, tho minor, is the quality of the plastic sheet. It squeaks uncomfortably every time I write on it. I’m no plastics engineer but I do know a higher grade of plastic would eliminate the problem.
After 3 weeks of using it I came to the conclusion it’s perfect for students, a task center at home, or just a place to quickly jot notes on. The business professional should probably stay away from it but that’s okay because priced at $24, it’s targeted for the consumer.
Buy It Here: Cocoa Jot-It
