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How can you do productive work on these little laptop screens?

Chaotic42

Chaotic42

Lifer
I bought an old laptop a few years ago that I mostly use as a Teamspeak client. I've been messing around with it, and I'm wondering how the hell people get real work done on these things.

I have three 22" monitors at work and I still easily fill them up and want more. Not to mention with the horrible keyboards and mice that come with laptops...

I'd pull my hair out trying to work with a spreadsheet or write a program on a laptop. Forget doing my actual job on one. Viva 60" of desktop space!

 
I have a 15" LCD at work. :|

I'd almost think it's worth it to bring my 20" WS over every day... 😛
 
You make do with what you have, and adjust your own habits accordingly... There's always a way if you are willing to compromise...
 
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
 
Originally posted by: CadetLee
I have a 15" LCD at work. :|

I'd almost think it's worth it to bring my 20" WS over every day... 😛
Click to expand...
15"?

No thanks. My single 24" at home is killing me.
 
Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
Click to expand...

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth. 😀

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.
 
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
Click to expand...

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth. 😀

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.
Click to expand...
yes you could always use more monitors. Or move the mouse a few centimeters down and click the next tab on your start bar
 
Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
Click to expand...
In my company, reading email is a full time job, what with all my bosses fwding everything they get.

 
Originally posted by: Mo0o
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
Click to expand...

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth. 😀

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.
Click to expand...
yes you could always use more monitors. Or move the mouse a few centimeters down and click the next tab on your start bar
Click to expand...

Excessive mouse movements suck.

I like my current setup. Outlook on one screen, word on another and excel on a third. There are little things in the backgroudn, but those are the main programs. Then I have a laptop that I play games on.
 
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: Mo0o
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
Click to expand...

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth. 😀

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.
Click to expand...
yes you could always use more monitors. Or move the mouse a few centimeters down and click the next tab on your start bar
Click to expand...

Excessive mouse movements suck.

I like my current setup. Outlook on one screen, word on another and excel on a third. There are little things in the backgroudn, but those are the main programs. Then I have a laptop that I play games on.
Click to expand...
That's what im saying. You could always have a monitor for every program that you're using, or you could occasioanlly click down there
 
Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.
Click to expand...

What's probably funny is that 20 years ago, the person before the person before him probably did that job with no computer, or perhaps with only a 9 inch screen, and was still just as productive if not more productive. 😛 😉
 
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I bought an old laptop a few years ago that I mostly use as a Teamspeak client. I've been messing around with it, and I'm wondering how the hell people get real work done on these things.

I have three 22" monitors at work and I still easily fill them up and want more. Not to mention with the horrible keyboards and mice that come with laptops...

I'd pull my hair out trying to work with a spreadsheet or write a program on a laptop. Forget doing my actual job on one. Viva 60" of desktop space!
Click to expand...

They do "real work." As far as I'm concerned playing around on a computer all day isn't real work.
 
you can fit a fair amount on 1600x1200. My laptop is closing in on 4 years old and it's still rare to see even desktops running a screen with that much real estate (short of people doing design work).
 
Originally posted by: bigdog1218
They do "real work." As far as I'm concerned playing around on a computer all day isn't real work.
Click to expand...
But if they aren't "playing around on a computer all day", then they aren't trying to do work on a tiny screen.

 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
What's probably funny is that 20 years ago, the person before the person before him probably did that job with no computer, or perhaps with only a 9 inch screen, and was still just as productive if not more productive. 😛 😉
Click to expand...
I don't think our product existed back then. 😉

Maybe I just need glasses.

 
This thread is silly. The OP has a job that benefits from a multiple-screen setup - this is only true for a tiny minority of people, even those who sit at a computer all day (like I do). I can easily be highly productive with a laptop - certainly no less so than with a desktop.
 
Originally posted by: DonVito
This thread is silly. The OP has a job that benefits from a multiple-screen setup - this is only true for a tiny minority of people, even those who sit at a computer all day (like I do). I can easily be highly productive with a laptop - certainly no less so than with a desktop.
Click to expand...
I'm spoiled. 😛



 
i miss the pre-GUI days sometimes

all you really need is at least 10 lines of ASCII to use a computer
 
It's hpw I feel about the crappy 17" monitor at work. I cringe everytime I'm copying stuff between spreadsheets or Word files. I've grown accustomed to running 2 windows side by side at home on a 24"🙁.
 
I became accustomed to my laptop (17") and desktop displays (24",20"), so when I first tried the small laptop (12") it felt like I was working on a postage stamp. But now I prefer the smaller unit - way more portbale than the 'desktop replacement', with enough power for my work, and surprisingly the smaller screen size hasn't impacted my efficiency.
 
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