Can the tools you use impact your job performance?

Last week (in an unyielding attempt to curb finger numbness) I tried out a variety of computer mice at work: starting with a vertical mouse from Anker, then a full trackpad, and then a regular mouse.

7 days in, I can definitively tell you that, yes, the tools you use matter.

If, for example, the mouse you’re using has a higher dpi than you feel comfortable using, or if it simply proves to be more challenging to navigate, you might be more tempted to make less movements (in my case, less copy-edits).

You might also make more errors (and less corrections to those mishaps), than you would if the device you were using were stress-free.

Or consider for a moment how incredibly difficult it might be if you replaced your mouse altogether with one of those amateurish VR pointers that you control with your head(?!).

The point is, the user interface (and ergonomics) matter quite a bit. If you're not conscious of them, they might be ruining you or (at very least) dampening your work.