Small Monitors Could Increase Productivity Over Multi-Monitor Setups

The more the merrier, right? It’s certainly my belief when it comes to multi monitor productivity, something that’s becoming very affordable today, as I’ve said when testing the GeChic OnLap external USB monitor, and it makes sense when you summarize everything to more pixels means more stuff on the screen, so you can work faster by not having to switch between apps.

Well, it seems more monitors don’t always mean better productivity, as I’ve read in this article. It’s an interesting read that makes the point that more monitors or pixels encourage you to keep a visible Twitter client, IM client or Facebook page open, taking your focus from the task in hand.

The point is to use a small monitor (or a monitor will a smaller resolution) so that you’ll be forced to focus on the task at hand instead of checking your social media status, chatting with your friends or doing anything else than pure work. While you would be tempted to say that higher resolution monitors or multiple displays help you multi-task better, studies have shown our brain is not trained to do multiple things at the same time.

Three monitors like this setup don't lead to triple productivity

So having a smaller monitor on your desk will change the way you work, maximizing apps you need and minimizing the ones you don’t (or close them). Our brain is an incredible tool, but it’s also still untrained to protect itself from all the distractions the Internet can provide. I’ll be testing this myth in the next days and report back to you with my own conclusion on how a smaller monitor can increase productivity, not hurt it.

View the original article here