Going 3 Deep
Recently I took the plunge and added yet another monitor to my rig at work, bringing the total monitor count up to three. “Three!!?” you ask, “isn’t that just a little silly, a little overkill?” I say no. I have 2 Apple Cinema Displays ( 20″ and 23″) and a 20″ Dell monitor, and I feel as though 3 may be the perfect number for my current situation and needs. Try to follow my reasoning as I explain myself.
It all goes back to my freshman year of college when I got the handmedown monitor from my parents ancient Gateway (remember those moo-cow boxes?) and used it as my TV screen since my computer at the time had a cable card installed. Not too long after that I ended up getting a real TV and therefore had a newly usable second monitor. It was at that point that I realized how much I had been missing out on. I could have the internet open in one monitor, while on the other I could have 3 IM conversations running, and watching the progress of a file transfer. All at the same time, with no overlapping windows! I was thrilled to say the least. Obviously I used it for much more practical things such as home work and various projects I was working on. But the doors had been opened to the joy of multitasking and the sense of productiveness that came with it. Since that time I have always felt the need to have multiple monitors.
But back to the main idea. I now have 3 monitors running and feel that it is the perfect number. I will list each monitor and the functions that it serves along with what it displays:
- I have my main monitor, the 20″ ACD:
- Dock
- Menu bar
- Adium buddy list (but only because it wont move to the 3rd monitor)
- Various files and folders, and any drives connected.
- Main editing window for programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, FInal Cut Pro, etc.
The secondary monitor, the 23″ ACD:
- Safari
- Any special files needing high priority
- Secondary editing menus and controls for Photoshop, Illustrator, FInal Cut Pro, etc.
The newly installed 3rd monitor:
- Twirl (for constant Twitter feed)
- Any IM/chat windows from Adium
- Giant time display, date, and current weather (provided by GeekTool 3, which I highly recommend for Mac users)
While its not necessary for me to have all of these things split up onto so many monitors, it does make it very easy for me to be efficient and productive. I am able to check the world of Twitter, see the date and time, or interact with an IM conversation all just at a glance. I don’t have to move windows around or have them overlapping and it increases my workflow. I am sure that a lot of people would say that it is all very uncessesary to have even 2 monitors let alone 3. To those people I would say fine, maybe for the types of things you use a computer for, it is quite possible that you would need only 1 monitor. I use multiples out of want rather than need.