The most important part of any desk is the computer screen that you’ll be relying on to do all your work. Most of your hours at your desk will be spent staring at your computer screen simply because computers are so important to getting work done nowadays. However, what a lot of people don’t often realize is that you are not limited to just staring at one computer screen or computer monitor, and in fact, it would be highly beneficial to implement a second monitor at your work desk. Let’s discuss further!
A big reason people simply don’t realize that this is an option is because all of their life, they’ve relied on looking at just one computer screen. On a laptop, your keyboard is directly attached to the single computer screen, and even for desktop setups, there is typically not much room for anything other than the main computer/processor, the keyboard and the external mouse.
However, when you have a fully dedicated desk space for work-related activities, you typically end up with a lot more space than you are used to. The reason for this increase in space is because it is a well-known fact that having more space to do your work actually helps you to get work done more efficiently. So while your college days may have been full of long nights working directly on your laptop in a small lounge area or someplace similar, when you really enter into the professional world, most companies will provide a full desk area. And even home offices will dedicate such space as well.
With that added space, you can easily fit a second computer screen without a problem whatsoever. And the benefits of such a move can be enormous. Depending on your profession and what your job title is, you can often have a lot of different applications open all at once. From emails, to PDFs to various Microsoft Office programs, odds are that even just an hour into the work day, you can have all sorts of windows open on your computer. And when you constantly need to reference various windows back and forth, it ends up slowing you down!
With two screens though, you can always have at least two different applications visible at all times. You can potentially have even use a third screen or only display various applications on half of the screens to create even more visibility for all of your applications. If you’ve ever used multiple screens before, you would know that the simple act of turning your head slightly (or even just shifting the direction of your eyes) is so much easier than having to find each application and click them one-by-one to get them to hide or unhide on your single monitor. This flexibility will just make you feel so much more efficient while you are working, and as a result you actually will be more productive in the long run.
On a psychological level, having multiple computer monitors can also help your overall mood. In short, this comes down the fact that having multiple computer monitors takes up more of your work space. Rather than staring at a single area of your desk all day, having multiple monitors forces you to look at various areas of your desk. Essentially, it helps you to open up and not feel so confined at your desk, which would be the case if you were looking at a single computer screen. Your work desk becomes a fluid space that lessens the sense of confinement and as a result you are in a much better mood.
If you are ready to up your modern desk game up a notch, here are a few key pointers. First off, make sure that you select the right computer monitor. While there aren’t a lot of hard requirements for such a computer monitor, the most important thing you should do is to make sure that the screen is as large as possible (without going overboard of course). Also note that if you are using a laptop for your computer, you could potentially use two external monitors instead of using the laptop screen plus just one additional one. While this would cost more for the additional monitor (plus an external keyboard which becomes a necessity in this situation), you’ll end up with two large screens instead of one small (laptop) screen and a larger external monitor, which may be off-putting to certain people. In addition, make sure that you have the appropriate cables and connectors to hook up with your main computer or laptop to the extra monitor.
Once you’ve bought the necessary hardware, the next step is to physically get it set up at your desk. Again, this is fairly straightforward, but there are a few things to consider. If you are using your laptop as one of the screens, you will probably need to place your laptop tactfully in front of and slightly to the side of your external monitor. This will help to lessen the disorientation that may occur when you drag your mouse across the smaller laptop screen in front into the larger monitor in the back. Along the same lines, if you have two external monitors, make sure that they are aligned vertically as much as possible. For most people, this shouldn’t be a problem assuming you bought identical monitors to begin with, but even then, some monitors can change heights dynamically, so just make sure that once everything is in place, you adjust the monitors, so they are at the same height.
Once you’ve done all that, there’s not much else to do except enjoy the extra monitor space and get to work! As already mentioned, having the extra monitor can really make a huge difference not just in your work productivity, but also in your overall mood while at work. You will feel much more efficient along with simply feeling less confined and restricted overall. Since the computer is the heart and soul of the desk, it makes perfect sense to optimize the experience by doubling down on the number of computer monitors at your desk! So don’t delay any longer – make the switch today and be ready to see your work experience change for the better!