#Multiple monitors for mac software#
#Multiple monitors for mac windows#

When I had multiple monitors, I had to rearrange my windows every time I undocked my machine. Last week I enjoyed working from the beach without any impact to my normal workflow.

This again leads to moving whatever I’m working on to the middle screen.Īs Barry Schwartz explores in “ The Paradox of Choice”, decision fatigue is a real problem. I could place one monitor directly in front of me, but then the second monitor is even farther to the side - making it clearly a second-class citizen. I have to turn my head either right or left (particularly annoying when walking on a treadmill desk, as I often do - see pic below). My solution? Just use a single reasonably-sized monitor.Įven with handy window management software, multiple monitors present a problem: If I have two monitors, the content isn’t directly in front of me.

#Multiple monitors for mac software#

His solution? Use software to make moving and resizing windows easier. So, I found myself constantly moving my work to the center of screen, thus, defeating the whole purpose of a huge display! Jeff Atwood discussed this issue long ago in “ The Large Display Paradox”. Sure, the screen was wide enough to display multiple windows side-by-side, but it was so wide that the edges felt uncomfortably distant. “What should I put on the left today?” “What’s important enough to be in the middle now?” It was far too wide to maximize my windows, so I found myself spending too much time fiddling with windows. Distractions stay out of sight, and thus, out of mind.īut after a few days, I was surprised to find my opinion soured. One monitor means my work - and only my work - is displayed front and center. The few who can spend their days on deep work will become extremely marketable and successful. Deep work is becoming increasingly hard in our distraction filled economy, yet also becoming increasingly important and rare. In a world of endless distractions, being able to focus on a single task for an extended period is a seriously valuable skill. This isn’t just unnecessary, it’s counter-productive. So why are we spending money to display multiple things simultaneously? If my email or social media feeds are available at a glance, then I’ll check them constantly. Humans can only focus on one thing at a time. 🤔ĭespite the fact that multiple monitors make you look like a serious computing badass, I sold my multiple monitor set up a couple years ago and switched to a single monitor. Studies have proven it, right? Well, keep in mind, many of those studies are commissioned from monitor manufacturers like Dell and NEC. Many developers believe multiple monitors improve productivity.