Nothing in cube-farm corporate America seems quite so decadent as having two monitors on your desk. Who is this important person who needs to work on two screens at the same time? Must be some kind of bigshot, eh?

Not so, posits the New York Times, which cites research that -- on certain text-editing tasks -- users were 44 percent faster using two 20-inch monitors instead of a single 18-inch screen. While there are no hard data points in the piece regarding other applications, it's not tough to see how users in all manner of industries and all types of tasks could benefit from having the extra LCD real estate. Anyone who has to flip back and forth between multiple windows in order to access information rather than keeping it all on the screen simultaneously should be able to get a productivity boost from having an extra display.

The Times' Farhad Manjoo put multi-monitor work to the test in his own workspace and notes that -- no matter what configuration he put them in, and even if he just went to one large monitor instead of two smaller ones -- he found his productivity improved significantly. The big benefit? Always being able to have your primary task visible and not covered up by off-topic windows like web pages and IM sessions. Says Fanjoo, "A huge desktop didn’t remove all distractions, but it blunted their force. Now I could keep my e-mail and the Web open on one screen while my Microsoft Word document ran on another. This kept me on task. Even if I did go off to the Web, my document was always visible, beckoning me to come back to work."

I've experienced similar results myself, though usually I use two or three separate computers side by side instead of just a bunch of monitors. Maybe I should rethink that strategy. Hmmm.

For a total maximum investment of about $500, Manjoo says he's convinced that the multi-monitor setup is more than worth the investment. Now let's see what your boss thinks about the idea...

anything to make workers produce more. Sign o the times in this day and age.

all my two monitors allow me to do is work on one and "Hearts" on the other....

I am SO down with the 2 monitor idea! My wife has it at work and she says it is the best, and when I visit I totally understand why. It makes multi-tasking more visible, meaning now I have one monitor and layers upon layers of open windows. She has two monitors and just like in the article, she has email and her task side by side. She just has a better overview of what's going on...

can you tell I'm jealous...

I wish I had two monitors. If I could display InDesign on one and have my asset management program on the other (so I didn't have to switch back and forth), I could get a lot more done.

When I've worked on site for companies that provide me with two monitors, it IS extremely helpful. At home though, I usually have three laptops in the bed running most of the day, so it's kinda the same.

Dear Santa...

Kill me now.

I've worked in offices with multiple monitors for one computer, and it is quite the luxury.
[Edited 1/16/09 14:04pm]

RenHoek said:

Yeah, Teller had told me if I went to two monitors I'd never go back. I havent tried it yet though!

SCNDLS said:

Is it just me or does this seem like a good deal...

RenHoek said:

Ummmm, that might just be YOU.

At my normal job I was a laptop and a PC. I can hook the PC monitor up to my laptop and use both if I want, and sometimes I do.

Other times I work at a desk that has 6 flat panel monitors with 6 PCs attached all hooked up together to run as one system, (monitors 3 across, 2 high) with a 7th PC and monitor off to the side.

On my current temporary position I just have my laptop. And it's nice.

SCNDLS said:

The owner of this monstrosity needs to be kidnapped and made to get a life.

Lammastide said:

Exactly.

at home I have 2 x 22inchers
when I temp at the office with only one, I feel everything goes sooooo slowly

Who the hell wants to be productive?

anywho, I had 3 monitors to watch when I was working a trade desk. Too much going on.

Vendetta1 said:

you need one dedicated to the org, otherwise switching screens all the time is tedious

JustErin said:

YUP!! Co-sign!!

I'm quite happy watching one porno at a time.

I just got duel monitors at my work. My job is so much easier now although it does make toggling a little bit harder when I have multiple programs opened.

I use 2 monitors at work. One for live video and one to watch past video. I am in the business of Lp/Ap. It works great, sometimes it is distracting, but worth it.

I usually have a dual monitor setup & it's so necessary, but not all places have it (I freelance). I prefer it, & wanna do that at home when I get my system up & running