Second Monitor: Friend or Foe?

The perfect computer monitor setup does not exist. I find that often my needs change and my preferences shift, so that I’m rarely happy with my monitor situation for more than a few weeks at a time.

A normal path people take is to use a single monito…

The perfect computer monitor setup does not exist. I find that often my needs change and my preferences shift, so that I’m rarely happy with my monitor situation for more than a few weeks at a time.

A normal path people take is to use a single monitor and then to add a second. This will likely cost you under $150 (or will be a hassle-free ask from IT) and will simply mean plugging in just one HDMI or USB-C cord. Now you’ll have twice the real estate (if not more).

PC Magazine has some good tips on improving your second monitor experience. One thing they fail to mention, and it took me a long time to realize, is that a second widescreen monitor invites the same work habits as the main monitor. The dashboards, email programs, and social media accounts distracting you on Monitor 1 are easily dragged over to Monitor 2… where they still distract you, just not enough to close them out.

My second monitor was a dumping ground for things I wanted to deal with later (or never) as well as being an all to convenient fit for ever-present emails and sometimes-present Youtube videos, Spotify playlists, and similar diversions.

For a time I tried a vertical monitor in the second position. This was briefly an improvement because it forced a chance in my behavior — windows were no longer as easy a fit so I had to think about what I was putting there. Also videos no longer looked as inviting and my email wasn’t wide enough to do more than look out for incoming messages.

I found a vertical monitor could improve productivity with long spreadsheets, long documents (like specifications and contracts), and to be good for text editors where large swathes of code or multiple components could be visible at once.

Still, the distraction was there. I had used 2020 to construct a nearly distraction-free workplace, complete with a great desk, ergonomic chair, super quiet fan, tangle-free power cords, a wonderful LED desk lamp for working late, and all the other things a mind bent on productivity could come up with. I even had my pen and paper notes going, right next to my laptop… yet I had this second monitor and I couldn’t stop myself from putting weapons-grade distractions on my second monitor. I’d catch myself checking into dashboards and analytics constantly when one or twice a day was sufficient.

As you have likely guessed. I’m down to a single display and I’d urge you to try the same for a time as well. Don’t go too small — 15″ on a laptop or 24-27″ on a desktop is great — but one clean, well-maintained space offers a fraction of the distraction of a multiple displays.


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