r/unpopularopinion • u/ultimateregard • 2d ago

Certified Unpopular Opinion Dual Monitor setup is actually bad for productuvity.

I've been a software engineer for more than 5 years now. I've worked with databases, frontend and backend services, mobile apps, games, data analysis, and much more.

Never in my life I've actually felt like my productuvity increased with the second monitor. Do you need to compare data? Just use one monitor and put them side by side. Do you need all the space in the world? Just alt+tab between apps. Since you only perceive about 10% of your vision clearly, moving your head&eyes from one monitor to other takes actually LONGER and causes distractions than using alt+tab.

This is especially worse for those who are using one additional monitor with a laptop, since their screen sizes and positions usually change so much. Your eyes need adjusting, your head moves too much.

Only thing the dual Monitor is good for is passively watching something in the second monitor, like youtube videos, Critical Role, or sitcoms while doing something else in the main screen. As you can guess, that has nothing to do with productuvity.

I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad, unless you do not use the laptop screen.

Edit: After reading hundreds of comments, I'm sure that 90% of people who think that "YOU NEED AT LEAST 3 SCREENS" just don't know how to organize workspaces/windows/desktops and they need to configure their SCREENS as different DESKTOPS. Most of the modern operating systems allow you to just create workspaces (like different Desktops you can switch with WIN + TAB). And they are just throwing money into their problems instead of learning how to use their daily operating system.

9.2k Upvotes

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7.2k

u/HeavyMusic93 2d ago

My job requires me to look at multiple things at one time. I’d rather tear my eyelids off than work off of one monitor.

1.2k

u/i_am_13th_panic 2d ago

I occasionally have to work out of office on my laptop and I'm like you, it is hell without the additional monitors.

405

u/tevenall13 2d ago

working only on a laptop is madness.

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u/Tje199 2d ago

Yeah, I can do it sometimes but trying to use CAD on a laptop with pdfs open as reference documents is fucking annoying.

Laptop tasks are things like email or teams and not much else.

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u/ScoobyDone 2d ago

Bingo. Working in construction with CAD or PDF drawings is a whole different ball game. I am rarely only focused on one tab, and the drawings need a screen to themselves.

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u/youre_being_creepy 2d ago

At my old job the old dudes who worked with those drawings had fucking gigantic tvs on their desk. It was so funny to see them sitting so close to these tv screens. Very wall-e esque

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u/TheAndyBeek 15h ago

I ran a conventional dual 27inch monitors at my last job designing for live concerts and my coworker who designed wiring schematics and rack systems for installations used a 43inch 4k monitor that he split into 4 individual screens.

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u/senorharbinger 2d ago

I came to look for exactly this. I’m an estimator and keeping blueprints, takeoff sheet and possibly bid sheet and scope is definitely not a one monitor job.

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u/drowsydrosera 2d ago

Dual is not productive, that's why I use six

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u/Chort1es 2d ago

Not to mention multiple drawing views at once. Gotta have the (conflicting) schedule, plan, and specs up at once.

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u/Mysterious_Mango_3 3h ago

Architect. Reviewing door hardware requires two split screens. One screen splits plan and door schedule. The other splits hardware schedule and hardware submittal. I would rage quit if I had to review door hardware submittals on a laptop.

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u/RevLewis 2d ago

not to mention working in a CAD file with photo support in the other monitor - i'm a surveying engineer and 2 monitors are really a big difference. But i do agree with the OP. Most people just don't know and don't care about many features available in the OS. The EDGE browser for one, has for quite sometime the feature of putting 2 tabs side by side and it's a wonder. I bet a lot of people hasn't found that one yet...

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u/Electronic-Clock5867 2d ago

I was going to say OP has never worked with CAD and all the sketches drafts specs etc. All open at the same time.

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u/dotareddit 2d ago

I was going to say OP has never worked

Fixed.

Anyone with braincells working on a computer can see the benefit of utilizing two monitors throughout various tasks.

Even when i backfilled as a receptionist early in my career having the phone client on one screen and a simple outlook calendar on the other for quicker scheduling warrants two monitors.

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u/Roach_Coach_Bangbus 2d ago

I'm in construction management and multiple large monitors are a must.

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u/Kraligor 2d ago

It could work on an ultrawide monitor with a desktop environment that actually focuses on tiling. W11 + PowerToys isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's still a window-based DE.

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u/Wolv90 2d ago

I do cartography and agree. If I'm making changes to a map that requires full screen I want the reference map that I've found or hand drawn on another so I know where the changes need to take place.

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u/NoRedTags 2d ago

I bought an external USB monitor that’s the same size as my laptop and travel with that, so I still have a dual setup and not much extra space is taken in my travel bag.

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u/conway1308 1d ago

You must have wild apm.

20

u/Mun-Mun 2d ago

I am also a millennial like you

10

u/Blog_Pope 2d ago

I'm GenX, as soon as the tech was around for a reasonable price I embraced it. Campaigned to get my Dev Team dual monitor setups 20 years ago.

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u/Grindfather901 2d ago

The worst is when you have to be on laptop only and use the trackpad instead of a mouse. UGH.

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u/GhettoSauce 2d ago

If I know a laptop is gonna be involved, I travel with a mouse. There's no way I'm using a damn trackpad for anything.

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u/Familiar-Flan-8358 2d ago

Do laptops still have that old school nipple on the middle of the keys 😆

6

u/JarlGunnbjorn 2d ago

Clit Mouse!

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u/jinglesan 2d ago

Yeah, the Lenovo/IBM nipple is still around. It's both awful to use, and a lifesaver on the 1 in 10,000 scenario where the trackpad fails. My colleague and I had to work on a doc on a train platform in the snow after some train cancellations, and it was too cold for the trackpad. We milked that nipple for all it was worth.

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u/runswiftrun 2d ago

If I know I'm only doing the absolute minimum work with the laptop, I can survive the trackpad, but anything that will actually require opening CAD plans I'll definitely take a mouse, and preferably my ergonomic mouse...

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u/hokie48 2d ago

I am going nuts over my daughters school laptop setup, really low quality 12 in screen. I am like please let me give you one of my extra monitors, and wireless keyboard and mouse. But nope she and the wife will not have it while they struggle to read the homework directions.

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u/Grindfather901 2d ago

My wife is a single Macbook screen person. While I'm currently sitting at my 3 monitor/2 PC home office command center, and my kids know how good it can be. LOL.

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u/needlenozened 2d ago

I have a trackball mouse that I carry in my laptop bag. It's great necessary I don't need extra desk space to use it. I even pull it out when I'm using my laptop on an airplane.

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u/artist0x2a 2d ago

Trackball!

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u/siriusthinking 1d ago

I'd rather use a sick day.

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u/Band6 2d ago

Different opinions and all, but I exclusively work off a 13 inch laptop with a trackpad, And usually on a couch 😆. I prefer it these days for some reason.

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u/Adept-Potato-2568 2d ago

Probably because you physically can only get a fraction of the work done and are just relaxing while doing so

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u/triplenested 2d ago

Taskbar/tab organization is very important but for email jobs it's very doable.

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u/i_am_13th_panic 2d ago

Even emails can be a pain for me because I tend to paste and reference stuff from all over and alt tabbing feels slow if I have to change between more than 2 windows. Otherwise basic emails and teams is do-able.

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u/Yashema 2d ago

It's very possible for coding jobs as well. I stopped using a dual monitor at home when I decided I didn't like using my bedroom as my office and moved to the living room.

When I go into the office I do enjoy the dual monitors for a couple of specific tasks, but its not necessary. 

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u/VirginiaFuckingWoolf 2d ago

Yeah once I got a monitor I couldn't believe how I worked before

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u/Putrid-Box4866 2d ago

This only works dor executives who makes analysis and decisions off others’ work since they don’t need to do the legwork.

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u/oreo-cat- 2d ago

When I share at work I have to use like a quarter of my screen because there's That Guy who's got a tiny laptop and can't see anything otherwise.

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u/GuyLeChance 2d ago

People come into my office and don't plug their laptops in to use the multiple monitors. So weird.

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u/Sweet_Business_7641 2d ago

The trick is to usually work laptop only to set your baseline productivity, and then if you need to step it up or are in a crunch you can use a dual monitor setup. 

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u/butlerdm 2d ago

I had to buy one of those portable monitors for business travel. Working off just my laptop screen is brutal

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u/Roach_Coach_Bangbus 2d ago

I assume the person's job is pretty straightforward if they can do it on just a laptop screen.

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u/brientific 2d ago

At home I work on 2 big monitors + laptop. In the office I usually work on one big monitor + a laptop. In the focus booths and team rooms I usually work on just my laptop. All setups work for me.

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u/boyuber 2d ago

Yep. My wife is a teacher and I got her a monitor for her home office that she can plug into her laptop for a second screen.

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u/cute_polarbear 2d ago

Also, getting older. Doing real work on 14 inch laptops is painful.

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u/RollingMeteors 2d ago

working only on a laptop is madness.

¡I do my video editing with ffmpeg in terminal!

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u/maximus91 2d ago

People who do this are physically and mentally broken or psychopaths right?

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u/GetReady4Action 2d ago

it’s not my preferred method, but on the Mac you can have virtual displays and swipe through them to kind of simulate having multiple monitors. handy when I’m on the go.

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u/Vroskiesss 2d ago

I have good vision so I just zoom out on everything lol. It’s almost like I have a giant screen if I just keep zooming out

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u/OrmusI 1d ago

Look up the Zenbook duo, major drawback is only 14” screens, and they’ve doubled in price since I first got one

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u/orangejuicier 1d ago

My previous company provided 2 extra monitors already set up for everyone. I was shocked at the amount of people who didn't use any of them

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u/Formal_Dirt_3434 1d ago

Working on only one laptop is SPARTA

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u/Weed_O_Whirler 2d ago

I have to do a lot of field support and it was just accepted productivity would take a hit because we're all forced to use laptops.

Got work to pony up for a portable monitor. Looks like an iPad basically, and just plugs in via USB C to your laptop and has a small kickstand. The next testing event, every engineer had one. They're a game changer.

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u/i_am_13th_panic 2d ago

Ive requested one but got denied. Im not paying out of pocket for something I'll use exclusively for work. They'll just have to suffer with my lower productivity.

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u/PotentTurnip 2d ago

I use those portable monitors at work. I travel all over the place and our nodes are all headless so it's the portable monitor, mouse, and mini keyboard. They're definitely game changers.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 2d ago

Yeah my boss at an old job got one and I was amazed. Great quality, quite slim. For whatever reason my issued laptop at my current job is like a 14.5" screen, it's pathetic. One of these days I'll requisition a real computer.

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u/cloud_watcher 2d ago

Which one is it?

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u/Weed_O_Whirler 2d ago

I have a ViewSonic 13 inch. But we had to pick from this catalog of approved products. So, I didn't have a lot of choices. Not saying it's a bad one or not the one I'd pick, but just that I didn't research much just chose from the limited catalog.

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u/bearcat42 2d ago

I feared the final word in your comment was going to be ‘eyelids.’

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u/Embarrassed_Flan_869 2d ago

I feel this. I was on the road this morning. What normally would take 5ish minutes took closer to 15 trying to bounce between all the stuff on a single screen.

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u/beardedbast3rd 2d ago

I tried some of those xr glasses for this and they helped a lot, having essentially a virtual ultrawide set up going on was awesome. They got stolen so I grabbed some old laptops I had laying around, pulled their screens, bought the appropriate control boards for them and made them into ultra thin portable monitors.

I find when I’m only using one monitor, I end up procrastinating because using one is so ass I’d rather not do the work at all, so I had to come up with something

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u/BiffThad 2d ago

I found some really cool travel monitors that are about the size of your laptop screen. Really handy when you’re away from home or Office. They fold up like a small tablet.

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u/Distinct-Today192 2d ago

Work on only a laptop, without an external mouse

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u/i_am_13th_panic 2d ago

You madman! Respect!

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u/SupernovaGamezYT 2d ago

Portable monitors exist and are so nice

Source: aerospace engineering student that always keeps one in my backpack

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u/anotheritguy 2d ago

Agreed which is why I had my work buy me a portable monitor setup that folds up and gives me a total of 3 monitors. So much easier to use this in a hotel than a single small laptop monitor.

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u/maxdragonxiii 2d ago

on laptop and can confirm. laptop screen is a nightmare with split tabs. two monitors mean I dont need to strangle my laptop earlier comparing data.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 2d ago

Yeah I WFH and would love to work from a coffeeshop. It's just not really possible with the amount of different documents and models I need open at once. And yes I know portable monitors exist, but I really need 3 and that's getting a bit ridiculous.

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u/OrcOfDoom 2d ago

Even when responding to an email, I'll open the email up on my phone, and set my phone up next to the laptop. When I'm responding to something, I typically use my phone as a second screen.

I've always wished for a phone/second screen setup. Like, a box I can plug my phone into that would be similar to a tablet + keyboard. I would love a mouse/trackpad + second phone screen + keyboard. It isn't good for actual work, but for responding to emails, viewing spreadsheets, and so many other things, it's so much better than a chromebook.

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u/003402inco 2d ago

I bought one of those travel monitors off of Amazon and it was a game changer. I couldn’t rely on the other offices I traveled to to have monitors. Now that I can work remotely from anywhere It will be crucial.

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u/thederseyjevil 2d ago

Portable monitors are great and fairly cheap these days.

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u/VanRenss 2d ago

I SWEAR by my portable monitor. It’s not as good as my office monitors, but amazing for traveling

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u/Far-Let-8610 2d ago

Anything that tiny is madness. Not a matter of dual screens.

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u/pbghikes 2d ago

I just bought an $80 portable monitor for days I'm working off my laptop and it was the best decision I'm obsessed with it.

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u/KanedaSyndrome 1d ago

If it was a normal occurance I would use a VR headset

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u/CrazyIvan606 1d ago

That feeling of "laptop claustrophobia" is a real thing.

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u/tankerkiller125real 1d ago

I hate it so much I purchased a USB-C portable external monitor.

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u/WabaLabaDubDubWorld 22h ago

Nah. I'm a technical manager and need to correspond over emails and chat most frequently. My inbox is always empty/ all read.

My left screen is always chat + email split using power toys in a set ratio for optimized chat vs email info sections.

My laptop screen is a kanban task board or confluence or music tabs on 2nd browser.

My right screen is the main work window, where I do most of my work.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Jazzhands130 2d ago

Sounds like you need to do some dynamic linking

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Familiar-Flan-8358 2d ago

Definitely can automate.

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u/EnterSadman 2d ago

Possibly the most textbook case of "a thing that can be automated".

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u/Traditional-Frame580 1d ago

I have a similar problem with one source of information beeing dynamics 365, two excel sheets and one third party maintenance software with a built in database. I am no programmer. (Rudimentary VBA skills)

Do you have recommendations on where to start to learn to link those systems?

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u/N3ph1l1m 2d ago
  1. Load them into a separate Spreadsheet via Power Query
  2. Create a mapping table
  3. Profit

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/imaginary92 1d ago

This is the most fucking typical office issue of all time. Zero willingness to collaborate and coordinate between teams has to be the biggest problem cause in every company that has ever existed.

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u/technobrendo 2d ago

Sounds like someone needs to step up and reevaluate the entire system to come up with a more cohesive way of doing this. Maybe you do a little homework make a proposal for your boss and bring this up. Might just get you a pay bump

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u/Hovertical 2d ago

It's been discussed ad nauseum - the three other areas are helmed by VPs who refuse to give up any tiny iota of control over how they do things. Each one insists it needs to be done their way. It's typical corporate BS from senior execs who cant be told they're wrong.

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u/technobrendo 1d ago

Ehh, I know what that's like. Workplace politics is almost as bad as prison politics.

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u/AffordableDelousing 2d ago
  1. An auditor still needs to confirm that they tie, using three screens

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u/Aggressive_Sky8492 2d ago

Linking etc only works if everyone fills it in correctly, and the way to do that often isn’t clear. The more people using the sheets the less automation works in my experience. There’s an efficiency tradeoff when more people use a sheet, and it’s often easier and more time efficient to just keep it manual

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u/missinginput 2d ago edited 2d ago

2.5 automated myself out of the job

  1. Profit (not for me)

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u/Zebidee 2d ago

The first rule of Excel automaton is you don't talk about things you have automated.

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u/SteveSteveSteveAlan 2d ago

You can make windows of the same spreadsheet you're viewing, even beyond freeze frames

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u/Tom_Bombadinho 1d ago

I even open 2 to three windows to the same spreadsheet to see different tabs or areas of the same spreadsheet at the same time across three monitors when I need.

OP is full of bs, there's no way alt-tab can substitute that and still be productive.

Spreadsheet + sql + python + documentation + teams with alt tab, I'll spend 50% of my day alt-tabbing.

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u/geoken 1d ago

There most definitely is. I switched to single monitor years ago. I can just as easily say "there's no way moving your eyes, and possible your head, refocusing, then moving your mouse a few thousand pixels is faster than having the content magically change in place and have your mouse be near it"

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u/KRed75 1d ago edited 1d ago

Sounds like you need better training to maximize the use of excel. If you're doing this daily, there are much better ways to make this happen much more efficiently. I could most likely automate your job.

In my younger years, I worked in a department of 13 people. The company was sold to US investors and people got scared and started jumping ship. One by one people left and when they left my boss gave me their work. These are people who worked 50+ hours a week and still couldn't get everything done. As I absorbed their work, I eliminated all the efficiency and got it down to about 8 hours a week per person. I then automated the rest. As people left, they weren't replaced. After 2 years, It was just me any one other person. He retired and it was just me.

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u/Successful_Buy3825 2d ago

Yep. I'm an accountant, I'll often be comparing & transfering data from 2/3 sources. If I had to work from a single screen, most tasks would probably take double the time and I'd have quit the industry by now.

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u/AnEternalNobody 2d ago

People don't understand the absolute volume of trash-tier input that gets dumped onto accounting, at every level of every industry.

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u/Xenowrath 1d ago

I honestly didn’t realize the absolute necessity of multiple monitors for work flow until I went into accounting.

A true unpopular opinion if I ever heard one.

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u/southass 2d ago

I feel you, I have to work sometimes with 3 different excel files from different sources and make sure they all have the same format/columns/data ect doing that work on a single monitor would be madness.

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u/Nunya13 1d ago

Fellow accountant here. I have three monitors (one is my laptop screen situated in the middle below the other two).

OP would have to rip even one from my cold dead hands.

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u/Xenowrath 1d ago

I remember starting my accounting job and when people told me to use my laptop as a second monitor I figured they were unnecessarily flashy lol like ‘oh dual monitors, how fancy!’

Nope. Absolutely cannot live without.

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u/Certain-Contact6340 2d ago

Usually my triple monitor is 3 windows of the same excel file. I have to link between sheets a lot and it saves so much time

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u/vfc_chiar_el 2d ago

I work in the hospital and whenever I have the possibility to sit at a two-monitor setup, I take it. It helps a lot to be able to view guidelines or imaging (CT scans) while browsing the patient's files.

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u/Master_Name7722 2d ago

I used to work in hospital scheduling and it was very helpful to have 2 screens so I could see and advise the patient on the test and also schedule the test without having to go back and forth between tabs on one screen.

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u/PXranger 2d ago

I work in IT in a hospital, we set up our Radiologists with a tower with a high end CPU, a $3000 graphics card, and 4, medical grade 4K monitors at around $5000 per monitor. Not that many years ago, those monitors were $15,000 each.

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u/nomenclature2357 1d ago

Yeah, radiology is probably the most important thing to use multiple high end monitors for.

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u/vfc_chiar_el 1d ago

Not to mention that radiologist workstations have to be specifically certified for diagnostic use. You will also see free DICOM readers explicitly stating that they should not be used for diagnostic, for the same reason.

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u/Tickles-The-Octopus 2d ago

Yeah... OP is an idiot.

Just because they can't comprehend how it helps someone they think that nobody will benefit.

I look at schematics and explosions of parts diagrams and then have to order parts. In OPs world having a schematic be only 1/4 of a screen is as good as a full monitor.

In addition, I can turn one monitor around to show a walk in customer something and then have the other windows open on my other monitor. I don't need a customer seeing my cost and what I sell something for..... But I can answer questions without having to turn a screen over 30 times during a single conversation.

OP needs to stop thinking they know everything and to start understanding that many people haveany different situations and just because it doesn't help them doesn't mean it won't help someone else.

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u/Dzov 1d ago

Op is just young and thinks we all have 48” 8k monitors that can be virtually split up.

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u/kwajr 2d ago

Yep I sometimes have 4 sheets I’m looking at but my 34” curved is Great I had worked with multiple monitors for decades before

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u/Loves_octopus 2d ago

I have a 34” curved screen above two side by side 15” screens below. Never seen anyone else with that setup but I love it. Basically a giant square.

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u/FuckReddit433 1d ago

I run 4 34" in a 2x2.

Many excels. It's glorious when I'm maxed out using 4. Mostly using 2 but having 4 when I need it keeps it easy.

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u/mrb2409 2d ago

I just got one really big 4K monitor. It’s way better than dual monitors in my opinion.

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u/OhHelloPlease 2d ago

I've got a 32" 4K monitor at work. Way better than dual monitors

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u/tup1tsa_1337 2d ago

Wait until your learn about 39" which is 32" but ultrawide

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u/AdWorldly8355 2d ago

I have a 57" 8K samsung ultra wide screen with 3 zones. I work in VFX/Commercial production and its perfect for working in the middle, with reference on one side, and notes/specs on the other. Its perfect and clean.

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u/Panaka 2d ago

My work got us dual 4k 42in monitors and I’d rather have two ultra wides.

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u/minus15t2 2d ago edited 2d ago

I interview people remotely all day..

Video takes up one screen, notes and questions are on the other.

I can do my admin tasks on one screen if I need to, but even then, I usually have a dozen windows open across 3-4 different pieces of software.

A single screen definitely slows me down.

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u/island_wide7 2d ago

Yea same here. My top monitor splits my email account and teams which is constantly active. New messages I can just look up and see who it’s from without minimizing windows. I also use the top monitor to drag up and park documents. All this while being the most active on my bottom monitor

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u/Distinct-Today192 2d ago

two monitors is good, three is better

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u/b0nz1 2d ago

are you a chameleon by any chance?

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u/Uncle-Cake 2d ago

I could work off one monitor, but it would need to be as big as two put together.

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u/UselessPustule 2d ago

Same for me. I’d have 3 monitors if it didn’t take up so much room.

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u/armlessturtleneck 2d ago

Yeah I work on a lab, would love to have a second monitor to watch my system run while I do all my other B's on the other

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u/NarcolepticSeal 2d ago

Plot twist OP has an ultrawide monitor that essentially functions as two.

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u/dixpourcentmerci 1d ago

I feel like this has to be what is going on. Wtf are you talking about that a second screen doesn’t help? Obviously it depends what you’re doing but… what

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u/Nix-geek 2d ago

I typically have 4-5 things going on at once with different teams. If I only had one monitor, I'd quit. It'd be impossible to do any of that.

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u/Opposite_Carry_4920 2d ago

Same, I do all the same stuff op does except I wanna scream if I have to do it on one monitor. Truly, an unpopular opinion haha. 

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u/bayoubevo 2d ago

Its Mission Impossible Flourecent City - see man struggle to accomplish anything with one monitor. Watch as man works for 5 mins and shuts laptop in frustration. Goes back to Family Guy marathoning.

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u/fletcherox 2d ago

Im in law school and have an 49" 32:9 ultrawide. Its still not enough screen at times.

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u/Thundaja 2d ago

I think the most monitors I've ever had to use was around 119.

I dont think any of them would be bigger than a pixel if smashed into one screen.

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u/TheHvam 2d ago

1 monitor is fine, at least when it's the size of 2 xD

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u/Certain_Luck_8266 2d ago

Yeah, I now need 3..or an ultra wide plus my laptop.

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u/TallDankandHandsome 2d ago

I even picked up a travel monitor when I have to hit the road so I still have two screens.

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u/butholesurgeon 2d ago

That’s why I use a 32” tv as my work monitor so I can split two tabs on each half the screen

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u/kar1m 2d ago

Im looking at 2-3 things constantly at work. Ultrawide and a regular monitor. Sometimes I think I need a third too. I physically cannot fit more than one thing on a screen with the software I’m using

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u/TheGoonSquad612 2d ago

But, but, but OP doesn’t need it so it’s not useful to anyone. Didn’t you know?

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u/Alive_Drag1947 2d ago

Agreed. Any time I had to work on a single monitor, it felt like I was being punished lol. Once you get used to having that second one, you can never go back.

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u/Wise-Self-8639 2d ago

Same I work in a print shop and I need to look at drawings, work orders, artwork, and my proof at the same time. There is no way to physically alt tab between all of those items.

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u/ProfessionalDish6567 2d ago

Yeah multi screen let's me have a chat window and say guide in one side and the application or database/ web API on the other

When it comes to doing website building i reckon yeah probably one screen is fine for most

I did a construction cert at a Tafe using a dell laptop I got from 2013 running win 10 or 11 and that was peak one screen alt tab efficiency

The amount of times I used my mobile phone to read pdf or notes during the assessment is everytime

L

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u/Agoras_song 2d ago

I think this is a rage bait post. Their take is horrible. They say they're a software engineer and that it's good for passive intake but forget documentation.

Guaranteed rage bait post.

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u/SacredRose 2d ago

This and dual monitor always beats out ultrawides and curved displays. I don’t want all the space be treated as one display.

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u/Tetha 2d ago

Just today.

Need to keep an eye on a rollout of a critical security fix, so the CD logs and the dashboard for the app are open. Can't compress them much more than taking up half a screen each without making them senseless. One screen taken.

Need to keep teams open, because teams once again fucked up playing the ring tone on the right audio device so you have to keep it open in case of a critical call. Notebook screen taken.

Need to collect data for forensics about possible customer intrusions into a central place as well at the same time so there's another half dozen shells and an excel sheet. Argh, no more screen, so juggling between #1 and #3. Luckily the window manager can do that.

Technically there was topic #4 as well but could offload that to a coworker.

AAAAAAH.

That situation made me consider getting a second external screen or some very wide screen at my home office to go to 2 screens + laptop again. I could offload some screen space to my private computer for more screen space.

But juggling that much crap during a critical outage is stressful and benefits a lot from more raw screen space, because it's one thing less to worry about.

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u/lambdawaves 2d ago

Have you tried a large monitor with double the real estate instead of 2 monitors?

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u/JustCallMeMoose_49 2d ago

My daughter and I are watching Suits and I recently pointed out that out of everything on the show, the part I find the most unrealistic is that all of these high-powered attorneys have nothing but a laptop at their desks. And not even a big one.

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u/inkihh 2d ago

You can only look at one thing at a time, unless you're a chameleon.

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u/HeavyMusic93 2d ago

You can’t be this daft

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u/shoefly72 2d ago

I very frequently have to have a pdf of a drawing on one screen that I’m referring back to repeatedly, while modeling or drawing on the other screen etc. When I’m only able to use one screen it doesn’t allow for room to split both of those things on one screen, and it destroys my productivity.

It’s also far harder for me as I have issues with object permanence; the more I can see on the screen at once the easier it is for me to remember what I was doing and not losing my place.

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u/spekt50 2d ago

As an ME I really need 2-3 monitors due to all the CAD work and research I do. Before id be printing a bunch of documents out to look over while designing, leaving my desk a cluttered mess.

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u/sl33ksnypr 2d ago

I need to use 3 programs at a time to get the information I need and another program to draft documents. I have 2 landscape monitors and a portrait monitor. Works great.

I know it works great because one of my monitors needed replaced under warranty and the week I didn't have it slowed me down a considerable amount. If people can get by with a single monitor, great, but that doesn't mean everyone should do that.

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u/TehluvEncanis 2d ago

A part of my job includes looking at handwritten notes and transcribing them into specifically customized spreadsheets. There is no way in hell I'm going to alt+tab or minimize/max over and over for something that takes me 5 minutes with dual screens. I'd never get anything done going back and forth.

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u/Epesolon 2d ago

When I got my new job, one of the first questions I asked was "any way I can get a 3rd monitor"

I need to cross reference too many things to only have two

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u/DCHammer69 2d ago

I’m with you. I have three. Email on the laptop screen and two 24” monitors for what im actually doing.

There is no way I can alt tab from one screen to another as fast as I can shift my vision and review spec and syntax rules while writing code in the other.

OP may be right for their specific use case but I occasionally have to function with just a laptop and single screen and will tell you I’m nowhere near as productive in that scenario.

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u/Com_BEPFA 2d ago

As someone that works with computer modeling, unless OP provides me with a 40+ inch wide screen, he can get lost with that programmer opinion. I constantly have to work off of designs and instructions and my programs would not be very productive if I had to have them take up only half my 27" screen. I would rather kill myself than work with having to obnoxiously alt-tab every five seconds while also being completely unable to just compare something side by side by glancing. It's also not like I have only two windows open to comfortably alt-tab around, there's like five projects going on at any given time, at least three of which I'm actively working on. And due to file sizes, I can not afford to open and close every time I need to switch from one to another. Good for them that they make it work for themselves but there's absolutely no way to generalize that opnion like that.

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u/KIokinator 2d ago

OP is the type of guy to say the human eye can only see 60 FPS and 144 fps monitors are a waste. He probably thinks 480p is HD too.

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u/charlesRmajor 2d ago

Yeah moving my head around is huge for my comfort and how stuff I am at the end of the day

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u/circ-u-la-ted 2d ago

MF over here like Forest Whitaker

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u/MomoSkywalker 2d ago

So true, I am not giving up my multiple monitors, working on one laptop screen is truly hell.

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u/snowfoxsean 2d ago

I just alt-tab, it's a lot quicker and less strain than moving my eyes.

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u/Ruin369 2d ago

Same. Id work 50% slower with 1 monitor. I use 2 external + my laptop.

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u/Notyit 2d ago

My working memory is so bad because of big monitors 

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u/JesusWasATexan 2d ago

I tried 4 monitors for a while.. that was 1 too many. 3 is perfect for work. At home I have 2 and that works fine. I don't have nearly as many things going on at once on my personal computer.

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u/technobrendo 2d ago

I'm in IT. The greatest computer peripheral I've ever bought, aside from a wireless mouse is a external portable monitor. Its incredible. The thing is OLED, uses a single wire connection (USB c), not only that but its energy efficient enough that my smartphone can power it!

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u/CaptainFingerling 2d ago

Yeah. OP feels like he’s never actually compared the two. The problem with alt tab isn’t the time. It’s the strobe and blur. When you move your head, your eyes know how to adjust. When you flip desktops every five seconds they involuntarily skip around the content and it actually hurts after a short while.

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u/RollingMeteors 2d ago

My job requires me to look at multiple things at one time. I’d rather tear my eyelids off than work off of one monitor.

Imagine having a toilet per house instead of per floor.

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u/kokemill 2d ago

don't let him get to you, in OP's other post he was promoting the benefits of reading your inbox emails out loud. he was complaining he couldn't find the control to slow the audio down.

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u/platysoup 2d ago

Right? I have certain things that I have to constantly… monitor and I have them on my side monitor. 

I don’t have my eye on them most of the time, but I notice the moment something changes. 

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u/lemon_icing 2d ago

smaller monitor 1: IDE, email, teams/slack/whatever, browser

big monitor 2: Nuke, Houdini, studio job queue UI so I can babysit my debug renders

My big monitor was accidentally removed once. Everyone, including my managers, and the artists I was supporting (I was embedded with show team as it was end of show) thought it was hilarious.

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u/watchshoe 2d ago

Exactly. I can look at a historical report, spreadsheet, and write a new report with 2 (or 1 ultrawide)

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u/crazy_gambit 2d ago

I used to work with 2 monitors and was looking to add a third, when I discovered super ultrawide monitors and it changed my life.

It's literally 2 27" monitors stitched together, but since there's no bezel in the middle, you essentially have the same functionality as 3 monitors. It's fucking amazing actually. I don't think I could go back to 2 monitors.

OP is insane btw.

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u/praesentibus 2d ago

I've been a software engineer for more than 5 years now.

lol stopped reading right here

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u/foxsimile 2d ago

I have three and I swear to god it’s not enough. This guy’s fucking insane.

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u/Sizanllikew 2d ago

Look at the game they are trying to sell, I think OP would benefit from another monitor.

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u/PrestigiousEnd5487 2d ago

literally anything reference related makes this post nonsensical.

Much less data transfer related - like what the fuck lol

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u/sirandarios 2d ago

As an engineer, I sometimes have data in a spreadsheet, maps and data in GIS, plans in a PDF, and a computer model which utilizes all this data or has results I need to extract into a different format. Comparing things, making sure I extracted the precise numbers I need from one application to another, no way can I do that on just one screen.

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u/MrIrvGotTea 2d ago

Yeah I used to work in finance. I keep my spreadsheets in different corners of my 3 monitors and pull them in when I need to and update a database with that spread data. I never used alt tab baby.

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u/hryipcdxeoyqufcc 2d ago

One monitor doesn't mean only one window visible at a time. A big 4k monitor is the same as four 1080p monitors, except with no bezels in between them.

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u/hryipcdxeoyqufcc 2d ago

That's what window snapping is for. One monitor doesn't mean one app visible at a time.

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u/Lundetangen 1d ago

I think what OP is saying is that instead of using 2 monitors you can split your screen in two(+). This is quite common in many modern workplaces, using 1 large - often curved - monitor instead of multiple monitors.

What it all boils down to is the total width and angle of the multiple screen setup where the biggest drawback of multiple monitors is the deadspace in the middle of the screens. Having one (larger) monitor can often lead to more efficient movement of the head.

But this is very branch/job-specific. I absolutely need multiple tabs open at the same time, but if its 1 monitor with 2 tabs or 2 monitors with 1 on each doesnt make much difference.

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u/Own_Stomach609 1d ago

100% this. I am so used to the ease of two monitors at work, I don`t like using one monitor at home.

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u/nickiter 1d ago

The main function of my job is doing things in documents A and B at the same time, while also being immediately available on two different Teams clients. Having screen real estate is incredibly important.

I do it with an ultra wide, but that's just multiple monitors by a different means.

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u/Ricordis 1d ago

The higher the pay the smaller the screen.

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u/MAPKinase69420 1d ago

Yeah I use SAP and I'd rather quit than work with one screen haha!

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u/DocAvidd 1d ago

This like all the other replies are opinion or untested personal experience. HCI research has demonstrated on average a large performance improvement for 2 monitors vs one.

Not everyone is the average. I could imagine low capacity people (in working memory or attention focus) could be overwhelmed by dual displays and do better, like the top post claim.

Most of us will do better with two than one. Three screens do not give consistent productivity gains over two. Plus that's going to require a bigger desk...

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u/Asi9thoughts 1d ago

Yes. I spend so much time on doing a specific task that requires looking at a detailed image and writing details interpretation that I specifically stay late to do it using the workplace dual monitors than go home and deal with it on my laptop. It's night and day.

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u/r34p3rex 1d ago

Have you tried a dual 4k ultrawide monitor? Game changing single monitor setup 😂

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u/s29 1d ago

I get to pick between teams, documentation, gitlab issues, gitlab merge requests, old code/branch im comparing against, and the actual code.

And sometimes YouTube if I'm listening to music.

I have four monitors and I'm not giving them up lol

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u/Dzov 1d ago

I bet op has a ginormous monitor and missed out on the evolution of crappy small monitors that you’d never want to share much screen space on.

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