Double Your Pleasure - The Virtues of a Second Monitor

In my Paperless Office - A Small Firm's Approach post (click here) my first recommendation was to get a second monitor. When you have a single monitor you are usually opening up windows, resizing them, minimizing/ maximizing them, scrolling and clicking, etc. to get to the part you need to edit. This takes time and we all know what our "workaround" is . . .we make a printout of the data and work from the paper copy. Right? Consider what it would be like if you were to keep certain data windows always open for quick and easy reference. You will be amazed at how much more easier things will be to do AND how much less PRINTING you'll do!

Now, according to the New York Times article "The Virtues of a Second Monitor",

"Survey after survey shows that whether you measure your productivity in facts researched, alien spaceships vaporized, or articles written, adding an extra monitor will give your output a considerable boost — 20 percent to 30 percent, according to a survey by Jon Peddie Research." Read on . .

• So now, while I am editing this article on my main screen, the screen beside it shows the outline or earlier draft I am working from — and, sometimes, Web sites or other documents I keep referring to.
• When I edit photos, the second screen lets me compare the copy I am working on with the original, or shows tool palettes and thumbnails of other images.
• When I am shopping on the Web, my two screens let me compare products.
• When I work on tables or spreadsheets, I can see all the columns at once.
• When I expect important messages, I keep my e-mail program open on the side monitor while I work on something else.

With a single monitor, I could jump between applications with a mouse click or a keyboard command (Alt-Tab, in Windows), but not nearly as fast — and small delays add up when you repeat them dozens or even hundreds of times a day. With my dual displays, I simply sweep my mouse from one screen to the other. Original Article: The Virtues of a Second Monitor - New York Times by IVAN BERGERPublished: April 20, 2006 Appraisal , Real Estate , Appraiser , Technology