Using two monitors at once – really?
Posted by: Jeremy on: November 6, 2009
- In: Work habits
- Comment!
For anyone who spends a significant part of their workday on a computer – and that’s an increasing number of employees even at non-technology-based companies – using two monitors provides measurable productivity gains. You may think dual monitors is just a perk for programmers or stockbrokers – but given how far the prices of LCD monitors have dropped, that’s just not true.
The basic reason to go to two monitors has to do with how the typical computer user works: users rarely spend all their time in one application. Instead, the average office worker is likely to be switching back and forth between their email, spreadsheets, web browsers, and role-specific applications like a CRM system, database, or accounting software.
Dual monitors let you work on multiple documents at the same time. If you’re creating a report based on a large spreadsheet, or writing an email to review a document, you’ll be able to see both the source material and what you’re writing at the same time. Here’s an example where the user has one monitor set to portrait mode for email, and the second is in the traditional landscape mode.
Photo courtesy hywell
Side-by-side monitors are also ideal for preventing distractions from completely derailing you. As the Time article says, “Now I could keep my e-mail and the Web open on one screen while my Microsoft Word document ran on another. This kept me on task. Even if I did go off to the Web, my document was always visible, beckoning me to come back to work.”
To get that additional screen real estate, it’s considerably cheaper to buy an extra 17″ or 19″ monitor – typically between $100 and $200 – than upgrade to a jumbo-sized monitor that may cost $1,000 or more.
Most modern computers can easily run two monitors. This includes Windows XP, Vista, and now Windows 7 machines, as long as you have a video card with two ports, as well as Mac OS and many Linux operating systems. Here’s a look at how to set up Windows machines for dual monitors.
I just switched to dual monitors myself, and I’m trying to figure out how best to use the additional space. If you have suggestions or comments, leave them below.
3 Responses to "Using two monitors at once – really?"
November 13, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Sounds great. Now I know what to do with my other free hand while I’m surfing. It could work the other mouse. Multi-tasking what a concept!
November 21, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I’ve been using two monitors for a couple of years. i could not imagine going back to one. You have a larger workspace, obviously. I use MS software in my office which has one small drawback in that it has no button for moving material from one screen to the other. I use a commercial package at home where I supplement my laptop with a comparable monitor. Works fine. I’ll return later to report on my software alternative to MS. Two monitors are very useful in answering e-mail, working with databases also.
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November 12, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I was the first to use dual monitors in our office about five years ago. I was in our database, a spreadsheet and my email as well as other applications or web research all day long. The monitors really helped to look at my current application on one screen and do the research on the other without the hassle and distraction of flipping back and forth. Within a year the clerks in our office had also switched to using two monitors and they love it. Since then others in our office have also added a second monitor as they have become available. It’s easier on your eyes too.