Productivity Plus: Two monitors
Posted on December 6, 2010 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Productivity
Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.
A few months ago I read a productivity tip that said I should ditch my second monitor for increased productivity. I was shocked. But as I thought about it, I realized that as with any tool, it’s all in how you use it.
Dual Monitors and Programming
I have two monitors connected to my system at work. I have a very simple set up. One monitor contains my code, the other contains the results of what I am working on. So as I am adjusting things, I merely have to look from one screen to the other to see the results, rather than flipping through multiple windows.
This isn’t restricted to just programming – any time you are doing a cause/effect, you can use the method. Graphs from data, presentation results after effects and publishing software all work well with this sort of technique.
Dual Monitors and Comparisons
Recently I’ve been asked to integrate a piece of code from one project into another. The left monitor has my source, and the right monitor has the destination. I can track and do line-by-line analysis of what I am moving over.
This same technique will work with any comparison between like items (although you may have to force the computer to open up two copies of the same program to make this work).
Dual Monitors and Email
Personally, I don’t have my email open all the time. But that is because it is not a critical part of my responsibilities. My manager, on the other hand, has the responsibility to respond back to client emails within a certain time frame. For him, having the email on the second monitor helps him keep track of what he needs to respond to.
Anything that requires real-time monitoring can live on a second monitor to attract your attention simply by moving your eyes.
Dual Monitors and Distractions
What I have found is that dual monitors can be non-productive when the second monitor is used as a distraction. Keeping up instant message windows, web browsers and other non-essential tools actually is a distraction because you can see every little change happening.
When I have my email program showing on the second monitor, I am distracted every time an email comes in, and I take time to check it. Since that is not part of my job, it is actually hindering my productivity.
What do you think? Are two monitors a productivity booster or detractor? Share below.
Photo by dyobmit
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Comments (6)
I agree with you 100%
It’s all about how you use the second monitor. The reason I got a second monitor was to specifically increase my productivity. The 3 examples you use in this article are things I do at the office and I have found my productivity increased dramatically with my second monitor.
I use Rescue Time to keep tabs on my computing habits and it let’s me see what things can cause distractions for me.
If you are responsible and use the tools for productivity, you will find many ways to take advantage of it.
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I use three monitors and feel crippled when I have to use a laptop with one monitor. My third monitor is for non-essential stuff like social media. Since I am a virtual assistant I need to keep an eye on things but it doesn’t get top priority. It is the monitor furthest from me on my left. My two main monitors allows me to have email open all of the time (which I need for client work) but allows me to also have a work window open.
When I do things like claims it allows me to open a pdf in one window and access the client computer in another window. Without the extra monitor I would be printing out tons of papers and then shredding them. I highly recommend that people look at what they are doing and see if a 2nd monitor can cut down on the amount of clutter from extra printed papers.
A third monitor…I’d love to try, but my desk doesn’t have the space. I run one monitor at home, but honestly, unless I am working from home, I don’t miss it!
I agree that having an extra monitor does save on paper. If I am debugging databases, I usually have the code on one monitor and the results on the other.
Saying that a second monitor will distract you is like saying that a bigger desk will distract you.
Used properly, a second monitor and a bigger desk can help a lot!
We should simply minimize any distracting windows in our monitors that aren’t related to the current task we’re working on.
Just like how sometimes we use our entire desk space to sort multiple papers related to our current task. Other times, we have only 1 page on our desk, and we move the unrelated pages to our filing cabinet so they don’t distract us.
Bill Gates and Al Gore use 3 monitors: http://www.kevinkane.com/2010/12/get-a-second-monitor-to-increase-your-productivity-and-save-time/
Glad you agree.