Using Two Monitors Makes You More Productive?

Double Vision asks: "In my job, I work with several software applications at once. I find that constantly switching back and forth wastes a tremendous amount of time and causes me to lose focus. My video card supports two monitors, so I found a discarded monitor in my office and hooked it up. This has made it much easier to do my job. However, we are getting ready to go through an equipment audit, which means I will likely lose my additional monitor unless I can justify keeping it. How can I make this case? Is anyone aware of studies that support my claim that two monitors makes me more productive?"

We just did this one!

[Rob T Firefly]

You're not really productive until you have seven flatscreens suspended around your desk. [wikipedia.org] Only then can you build a 3D virus that will help you break through the firewall of that 1024-bit encryption.

Re:Forget extra monitors

[computational super]

diff tools (see full-width code lines side by side, one on each screen).

Well, for now, anyway. Give programmers a couple of years of working with two monitors at 1600x1200 resolution apiece, and they'll just start sticking 5000 characters to a line. You'll need four monitors to see the diffs side-by-side.

Just hide the damn thing

[Sponge Bath]

Come audit time, stuff the extra monitor under the desk or pile some binders on top of it.

If anyone gets too close to it, smack them on the back of the skull with a lead pipe and put the body in the cubicle of someone you don't like.

This advice brought to you free of charge by /. and Sponge Bath.

Re:Hidden ? Obvious.

[kalirion]

If your salary is $50 an hour, then every second you spend on unproductive things becomes a very visible cost, especially if those seconds add up.

So how much money has Slashdot cost your company?

Re:Hidden ? Obvious.

[Bacon Bits]

So how much money has Slashdot cost your company?

Not much, I got two monitors!

Hack the system

[ElectricRook]

Bean counters will be bean counters. Use ignorance to battle ignorance.

Put a label on the monitor saying "Do Not Inventory". And sign the note illegibly.

The bean counters will either ignore the monitor, which you want. Or they will count the monitor. If they count the monitor, then put the monitor in an empty cube, and make it look like it is connected to a computer. If there is no name on the empty cube, make a name plate for the cube. The name on the plate must be "M T Box", and explain to your cow-orkers that the cube is being held for the new Chinese intern. If there is no empty cube, get a keyboard, and make it look like there are two people working in your cube. Explain that you have to share your cube with the new Mexican intern named No-Say Yama...

Re:Trivial ?

[R2.0]

Every day I walk by HR on my way to my cube and every other desk has 2 monitors. I imagine that they would boost productivity immensely - if I ever saw anyone actually doing any work.

Re:Hidden ? Obvious.

[mahtoosacks]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ha not much cus i only make 15 an hour... i make them more... in the end its all even

Re:Trivial ?

[vagabond_gr]

Also, after buying a second monitor you need some time to configure it, get the latest drivers, adjust the resolution, etc. You also need to figure out which application to move where, try several options, etc. Then you have to post on your blog (or better slashdot) to let people know about your great dual-monitor system. You need different wallpapers for each screen. You have more free screen space so you can download some more desktop goodies like dancing teddy-bears or virtual pets that you have to feed every 10 seconds or else they get sad. You can have your mail client open all the time so that you instantly see all the funny-videos/urban-legend/spam and forward it right away to even more people. You can even have youtube open all the time so that you can finally catch up with the millions of people who upload so fast that you couldn't watch everything with a single monitor. You don't need to switch back and forth between tetris, solitaire and google earth, everything is nicely arranged in front of your eyes so that you don't lose a second of your precious time.

And when you get bored of all that, you have the wonderful idea of configuring
your dual monitor in Linux, using of course XGL and all the mambo-jumbo effects from the latest build of Beryl. So you're set for a lifetime of great productivity at the cost of a lousy second monitor.

PS. Gadgets are toys for big boys (read geeks). They have nothing to do with productivity, you lame Blackberry junkies.

Work around the audit

[Anonymous Coward]

Hide the previously discarded monitor above the false ceiling until the audit is over.

You can also;

[WillRobinson]

Superglue the frames together, use black electrical tape, to go around both frames so it looks like one unit. Then remove one of the asset tags if there is on.

Set back and smile.

Re:Trivial ?

[Firehed]

Woosh!