References that inspire me are buried treasure beneath sketches and tools. Where's that that Dredd comic? Oh here it is, under my sketchbook. How's my comic coming along?
Physically surrounding yourself with books can be a hazard, so many portals lying around you don't know what world you may find yourself in. A hardback just larger than handsize gives me enough room to move the mouse. The length and age of the book gives it a sturdyness. It's not too heavy, not too flimsy, and the 1993 build quality ensures it can take the minimal usage it occasionally gets as a mousepad.
I learn or write hotkeys for closing windows and tabs, when I feel like too many things are open, I go through all the open tabs &| windows &| workspaces and ask myself: Does this need to be open? If it's NOW, do what needs to be done in that workspace and close it. If it's LATER, bookmark | save it where it belongs (so I can find it when it later becomes relevant) and close it. Lets see AI give you that kind of power