This post on SimpleBits reminds me of the point in time when I briefly surrendered to a mousepad obsession; mulling over reviews, specification sheets and user comments, I spent about a week weighing up my options. Then I bought a RatPad and have barely thought about the subject since.

Focusing on a particular thing like that, for a short period of time, is an extremely effective way to make decisions. Do vast amounts of research, weigh up the options, make your choice, and stick with it. Then you can get on with life, secure in your choice (unless you have cause to regret it; however, minimising the chances of this is what the brief obession model is all about).

It’s been a few years, and the RatPad is slightly warped, the label is half rubbed off, and some of the rubber feet have been lost. However, it remains far and away the best mousepad I’ve ever owned. Doubtless at some point I’ll replace it with a new one, but for the moment it remains much as it was when I bought it: slick, durable, utilitarian. Every so often I take it downstairs and wash it (as you’d wash a plate, essentially—washing-up liquid and hot water).

I have a number of things like this: useful but almost invisible. Compaq keyboard (just the right size, just the right stickiness and sounds of key); pad of super sticky Post-it notes (actually stay stuck to things); Uni-ball Micro pens (thin black lines, a great feel). These small items shape our world without us noticing, allowing us to perform the tasks assigned to us that little bit more easily, lightening the load just enough to make it bearable.