Share your HOME WORKING workstation environment - pics
Discussion
theboss said:
Doofus said:
What a distopian image. 
My experience still stands, regardless of what others' experience may be. I don't see any benefit in having multiple windows open in multiple monitors, because you can only do one thing at a time anyway.
I use video calls a lot (as we all do), but I don't actually need to see the other people continually. I can switch to a different window during the meeting; I don't need a second screen to do it. Back in the world of yesterday, I had face-to-face meeting regularly, and a large desk which doubles as a sizeable meeting table was really useful.
This will become a pointless argument because different people have different ways of working, but I find a laptop, a pen and a pad serve me just fine.
Whereas a laptop screen is completely unworkable for me unless I'm travelling to a temporary site and simply have to make do.My experience still stands, regardless of what others' experience may be. I don't see any benefit in having multiple windows open in multiple monitors, because you can only do one thing at a time anyway.
I use video calls a lot (as we all do), but I don't actually need to see the other people continually. I can switch to a different window during the meeting; I don't need a second screen to do it. Back in the world of yesterday, I had face-to-face meeting regularly, and a large desk which doubles as a sizeable meeting table was really useful.
This will become a pointless argument because different people have different ways of working, but I find a laptop, a pen and a pad serve me just fine.
I have in the past bought a 17 inch laptop to try and get over the problem a bit but it’s still not great.
DoctorX said:
Jinx said:
JakeT said:
Object Dock Plus. Been using it since windows vista and love it.
It's more of a dumping ground, I don't need any of those files. Just lazy.
Doofus said:
My experience still stands, regardless of what others' experience may be. I don't see any benefit in having multiple windows open in multiple monitors, because you can only do one thing at a time anyway.
I'm often trying to synthesize information from multiple sources and then write based on that information. As I have the memory of a goldfish, i've got a much better chance of wrting something sensical if I can see what I'm basing my guff on at the same time as writing it.Doofus said:
I use video calls a lot (as we all do), but I don't actually need to see the other people continually. I can switch to a different window during the meeting; I don't need a second screen to do it.
I don't need to see the people I'm talking to, but especially if you're delivering difficult feedback it's really useful to see how they're taking it rather than listening for the sound of the pistol cocking.JakeT said:
Then it all goes into a folder in documents. 
I just create a new folder called tidy followed by the date in ISO 8601 format, and dump everything loose on the desktop in there. That in turn goes in the next tidy folder a few weeks/months (depending on screen size) later.Running treesize after a few years can be an eye opening experience.
Doofus said:
This will become a pointless argument because different people have different ways of working, but I find a laptop, a pen and a pad serve me just fine.
Yes, just as some people prefer a horse and carriage .You say "I can simply switch the screen, don't have to see the people". We do a lot of collaboration online these days. Notes you take on your paper and pencil are just for you then. Working on a screen and talking to your colleagues is just a turn of the head instead of minimizing and conversing with the person who's talking.
What you are describing sounds to me a series of workarounds you devised because you never had two screens.
All fine, but your statement of "developers and helpdeskers" sounds like you know only an office that was thought up before '95 or from movies, it sounds very out of touch (not meaning to offend).
In the past 10 I haven't been in any company where there's not multiple people (if not nearly all people) in all departments who have two or more screens.
Most flex offices I visit have fixed monitors installed to connect your laptop to as you arrive as well.
ATG said:
What is dystopian about it? Any specific examples?
Do you perhaps sell stationary supplies ;-) ?
I'm Director of three companies, in two countries, with a total of about 70 employees. Manufacture of precision engineering equipment, multi-channel retail and software.Do you perhaps sell stationary supplies ;-) ?
What's dystopian is the thought that one's working day might be so imbedded with, and dependent upon, a computer screen. Or several.
ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
Edited by Doofus on Friday 16th October 15:29
Doofus said:
ATG said:
What is dystopian about it? Any specific examples?
Do you perhaps sell stationary supplies ;-) ?
I'm Director of three companies, in two countries, with a total of about 70 employees. Manufacture of precision engineering equipment, multi-channel retail and software.Do you perhaps sell stationary supplies ;-) ?
What's dystopian is the thought that one's working day might be so imbedded with, and dependent upon, a computer screen. Or several.
ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
Edited by Doofus on Friday 16th October 15:29
If you say "one screen is enough" would you also say people shouldn't spread paperwork out on their desks?
ATG said:
Doofus said:
ATG said:
What is dystopian about it? Any specific examples?
Do you perhaps sell stationary supplies ;-) ?
I'm Director of three companies, in two countries, with a total of about 70 employees. Manufacture of precision engineering equipment, multi-channel retail and software.Do you perhaps sell stationary supplies ;-) ?
What's dystopian is the thought that one's working day might be so imbedded with, and dependent upon, a computer screen. Or several.
ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
Edited by Doofus on Friday 16th October 15:29
If you say "one screen is enough" would you also say people shouldn't spread paperwork out on their desks?
Doofus said:
What's dystopian is the thought that one's working day might be so imbedded with, and dependent upon, a computer screen. Or several.
As has been stated, everyone works differently - and what suits one, will irritate another. I'm sure a gardener doesn't expect to be stuck in an office doing 'computer stuff' all day, just as I'd prefer to be in an office s standing at the side of a motorway resurfacing it.I'm not a company owner (other than in the sense of being a contractor inside IR35), but I'm happy with the relative lack of responsibility and flexibility in choosing where/how I work.
Almost all of my work for the last 30 years has been at a computer. First a COBOL programmer, then went into desktop publishing to support business consultants and IT solution providers (big ones with 50,000+ staff) in producing their technical documentation and business process material - and along the way I became responsible for analysing/producing/displaying company performance metrics for a very large multi-national, in a team responsible for £1bn of the company's spend.
I don't have a problem with computers, they're just a tool, and I use them in a similar way any other 'tradesman' would use tools, whether it be working on cars all day, or standing/sitting next to a CNC machine on a dull 9-5 job.
ATG said:
Doofus said:
I told you it was a pointless argument.
I'm genuinely interested. I don't have a clear idea of what your objection is. Is it just a gut reaction? (And I don't mean that pejoratively; there's nowt wrong with an instinctive dislike of something.)It's not a rational image, sure, but my take is that being able to hook up multiple monitors to see everything simultaneously doesn't actually improve productivity or wellbeing. Obviously you and others think it does, but I feel the tail very soon starts to wag the dog.
Time away from screens is important, and being surrounded by them would make me feel sad.
Doofus said:
I'm Director of three companies, in two countries, with a total of about 70 employees. Manufacture of precision engineering equipment, multi-channel retail and software.
ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
I've been optimizing and analyzing business processes, productivity and efficiency for over a decade now. Get your employees dual screens.ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
ZesPak said:
I've been optimizing and analyzing business processes, productivity and efficiency for over a decade now. Get your employees dual screens.
If they want them they can have them. They all know thst.ETA, and as I have said, many of them do. I don't, and PHers' personal setups is what this thread is about.
Edited by Doofus on Friday 16th October 16:32
ZesPak said:
Doofus said:
I'm Director of three companies, in two countries, with a total of about 70 employees. Manufacture of precision engineering equipment, multi-channel retail and software.
ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
I've been optimizing and analyzing business processes, productivity and efficiency for over a decade now. Get your employees dual screens.ETA: It's probably fair to say that, due to my positions in those organisations, I don't actually do any 'work', but other than the IT bods, I can't think of anyone who uses multiple monitors. The design engineers, possibly.
It’s 100% a better way of working.
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