Dual Monitors increase productivity by 20-30%, Cost by 100%
So I read this article by the New York Times about how having a dual monitor setup can supposedly increase your output by 20-30%. I’m actually convinced that it could be true. Most of the windows on my desktop take about 100-80% of the real estate on my screen. Whenever I switch applications, I have to go find which one I want in the tray on the bottom (with the number of apps I use at once, alt-tab is a bad idea). Sometimes I have to go through 10 or more windows to find what I’m looking for!
With two monitors, I could have a web browser one (for example), and a work one. Because, yes, web browser != work. Or I should say, web browser = !work. While it would be nice to have a dual monitor setup, it would also cost twice as much. And I bet movies wouldn’t look too good with the gap in the middle. Maybe I’ll just splurge on a giant widescreen monitor from Dell…
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My PC at home cost ~ $1200 and came with one monitor. Sometime later I was upgraded to 2 monitors at work and after witnessing the dramatic increase in my work productivity I bought a second monitor for home, for only a couple hundred dollars. The second monitor didn’t double the cost of my system. It only increased it by about 20%. If you value your time at $50 per hour, the second monitor will be paid for in 1 to 2 weeks. The two best values I’ve encountered are Cable Modem verses Dial up followed by Two Monitors verses One.
Okay, so the system itself doesn’t cost 2x, but the monitor price does. And as an update, I ended up getting a Dell 24 inch last year. It rocks.