Bead mats are great. They keep your beads from rolling around on your work surface and make it easy to pick up the exact bead you need. By having mats in different colors you can always be assured that you will have a mat that contrasts with your beads and eases strain on your eyes.

I use a small tray that iIuse for much of my beading needs, especially chain maille work. I use a bead mat in the tray to keep the jump rings from moving around. I've discovered a great time and energy saver that use bead mats to their best advantage:

If you are working on a project and want to leave it for a while, just place another mat on top of the beads and other items on your mat. Lightly stroke the upper mat until they adhere together. You'll have a nice fresh work surface and protect the temporarily abandoned project at the same time!

You can get packs of three bead mats in the colors shown about in my eBay Store Purveyor of All Things Creative.