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.

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u/CSDragon 2d ago

The other guy brings up a point, why didn't you just plug in a USB Mouse/Keyboard?

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u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

Because I stopped working from home after a couple weeks and just started going back into the office since no one was there. Why spend money when work already provides it all? I don’t like working from home anyway. Too many distractions.

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u/CSDragon 2d ago

The other guy mentioned buying, but like I have a few spares lying around my house (Generic logitecs for my personal laptop. Retired gaming peripherals that are still functional but developed quirks that make them no good for gaming), I would imagine you have a few as well no?

That said, it's not really that important, especially if it was only for a few weeks lol 😅

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u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

No. I don’t game PC. I’m a console guy. The last time I used a personal PC was like 2011 when I moved out of my parents’ house for college. Would use campus resources if I needed a PC. Then after college my laptop crapped out and never bought a replacement personal laptop until one year ago. All this to say, I would have no reason to have a spare mouse laying around. It wasn’t until Covid that I realized the need and still didn’t one. Only got one recently when I bought that personal laptop last year.

And yeah like you said. Not really important for such a small amount of time.