As internet marketers, we are always in a bind to get our to-do list done.
We blog, write articles, tweet, Facebook, comment, and write website pages. We create links, design pages, edit images and learn code. We research facts and make online friends.
With all this activity, I’m multi-tasking all day–and I always want a way to make it go faster.
What is the one thing I have done to increase my productivity by up to 50%?
I set up multiple monitors.
Not the answer you were expecting?
Multiple Monitors Save Time
When we work online, it’s easy to overlook how long it takes us to load and unload pages, switch from one view to another, and get multiple programs to play nicely together.
I installed multiple monitors and immediately saw a huge increase in my productivity.
Now when I work, I open one monitor with my HTML editor, one monitor with a browser and one monitor with the text document I’m working on. I switch back and forth between the 3 views and I create a webpage in a fraction of the time it used to take.
I was skeptical at first. But think of this analogy: in the old paper-and-pen world, what if you had to write a paper and your desk was only as wide as your book? Every time you read your book, you had to put the paper you were writing under it. When you wanted to take some notes, you pulled out your paper and put it on top of your book. Back and forth, switching your documents.
That is using one monitor.
Multiple monitors is giving yourself enough usable monitor space to work efficiently and quickly. You have all your documents laid in front of you so you move between them quickly. It’s like upgrading to a big desk where you can spread your work out.
Setting up the monitors is not extremely difficult, especially since I found a handy external video card. I tell all about what I did in a series of videos, “Multiple Monitors for Laptops or Desktops: Jump Start Your Productivity“. In these videos, I tell you exactly what I did and how I did it.
Now that I use multiple monitors, I won’t go back to one. I tell all of my coaching clients that multiple monitors is a necessary tool for any internet marketer.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Time is indeed essential for internet marketers. This is a new advancement to somehow save our time and get more jobs done!
Sam,
Exactly!
Depending on the task, I can save 50% – 70% of my time versus using a single monitor. It feels cramped when I just have my laptop screen.
I hope you’ve gone to multiple monitors too.
Michael
Great idea, I’m going to try this.
Doug,
Good Luck – hope it helps you as much as it did me.
Michael
Heard this idea months ago, but couldn’t get it to work. These videos helped me.
Ken,
great, glad it helped .. and hope you are getting more done in less time now.
Michael
i’ve been using this technique for years – i encourage you to try it out
Melanie,
Good to see you here on my site.
I’ve had good luck with multiple monitors – wish I would have listened years a ago!
Michael
I did it too. It is worth a try if you have an extra monitor sitting around.
Joe,
I had two extra monitors for a while, just because I had extra monitors. The videos show the 3 monitor setup.
But when I switched to a Mac, I had to scale back to 2; I actually missed the virtual real estate a bit.
I’d hate to have to go back to just one!
Michael