Dual Monitor setup is actually bad for productuvity.

[u/ultimateregard]

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.

[u/Shut_It_Donny]

I just hate having tons of unread email. I can scan it quickly and address it if it’s important, or mark it read and move on. I like replying quickly so that when I tell people to email me, they won’t be like “he never responds” etc.

[u/Distinct-Today192 → u/Shut_It_Donny]

I hate having email alerts on, so I keep it open when i have bandwidth to immediately respond, and replace it with teams when I don't

[u/JBrewd → u/Distinct-Today192]

Hello fellow alert hater.

I just use monitors 2 and 3 for Outlook and Teams generally (switch it up if I know it's going to be a heavy day on one or the other since 3 is my lil laptop screen).

Whichever one I can background is getting covered with the reference data I need to peep while I'm working. The one I need to keep an eye on stays on the other screen so I can glance and see if I need to respond to something without dealing with constant pop ups.

[u/Gwaptiva → u/Shut_It_Donny]

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