Technology Articles
Tell Your Boss You Need Multiple Monitors Too!
Proof Points on Increasing Productivity
By: Robert H. Spencer, PhD
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Technologist Dr. Bob Spencer knows first-hand how multiple monitors improve productivity, and in this article he sets out the business arguments – based on ROI – for using multiple monitors in your practice.
You can use solid ROI arguments to convince your boss – or convert your inner fiscal conservative – to spend the funds required to start using multiple monitors for productivity.
I have long thought that having more than one monitor on your desk increases productivity, and a University of Utah monitor study, commissioned in 2008 by NEC, seems to prove the point once and for all.
Here is their solid business argument for using larger, multiple monitors over a single, smaller monitor.
| Monitor Size and Aspect Ratio Productivity Research: A Comparison of Single and Dual Traditional Aspect Displays with a Widescreen Display over Productivity |  [PDF, 2.4MB] |
The conclusion: Larger, wider monitors and multiple monitors significantly increase productivity over a single, smaller (under 20”) monitor.
In the end, what is important is the fact that there will be more work space. Accountants and knowledge workers benefit the most, as the vast majority of our time is spent working on our computers.
Calculator. Ergotron, a company that provides mounts, has this online calculator so you can calculate the economic return on using multiple monitors.
Moving Forward
So if you are sold on having more than a single monitor, your question becomes, can I use multiple monitors with my system? The answer is most likely Yes. Most operating systems (including Mac OS X, Linux and others) will support multiple monitors connected to a single computer. We will describe here how to arrange multiple monitors to get the most value out of them. (Setup is discussed in a related article.)
Arrangement Considerations
Most multiple monitor users tell me they tend to fall into a certain pattern of use.
Two Monitors
Tax, accounting, and other professionals who are often deep into quantitative or production work typically display their everyday and communications applications (email, web, word processing) on a left-hand monitor and their quantitative or production work on the right-hand monitor.
Editor’s Note on Tax Applications. Several years back, we published a tip on using multiple monitors that suggested several uses of dual monitors around tax time:
- Last year next to this year
- Tax return next to Document Management System (source documents)
- Trial Balance next to tax return
- Tax return next to tax planner
Three Monitors
Some financial professionals need to track various news sources and feeds on a third monitor, or will expand the second monitor duties (of different tax or quantitative applications) to a third monitor as well.
Four Monitors
Personally, I use four monitors because I have a lot of applications open at the same time. Next month I’ll share more details, but here is a photo of the general arrangement.
Dr. Bob’s Kentucky Office Setup
Let’s turn next to step-by-step instructions on setting up multiple monitors.
Next: Setting up Multiple Monitors
Dr. Bob Spencer is an internationally recognized writer, lecturer and consultant. You may e-mail him drbob@tsif.com, or visit him at Twenty Seconds In the Future.
Last Updated: 02/23/2009
