I’m working on summarizing the terrific discussions that Susan Minsberg and Karen Marty brought us at the last Off the Clock session in St. Paul. In the interim, one issue that came up as a potential topic for the future is the use of dual computer monitors to increase your productivity. I’m a huge fan of the two screen set up and would not consider working without two monitors. It allows me to drag my applications back and forth between screens and to work simultaneously on two applications instead of having to toggle back and forth between them. Some simple examples of how I use two screens:

• drafting a document on one monitor while completing online legal research on the other monitor (thus allowing me to cut and paste from applicable cases);
• comparing two documents to find inconsistencies or similarities. Without the need to toggle back and forth on a typical one monitor set up, I get a clear and quick picture of both documents and how they may be different;
• checking and composing web-based e-mail on one screen while surfing the web for research or reference on another browser on the other screen.

I’m considering how we can produce an upcoming session that demonstrates how to set up dual monitors (hint: it’s easy peasy) and how best to work with them. It’s not the easiest thing to demonstrate at an OTC session that we typically hold at a local pub or coffee shop. But it is under serious consideration. In the meantime, consider these resources to get you into the world of dual monitor efficiency:

• a Wikipedia entry that gives you general background on what it calls “multi-monitor” (yep, some people don’t stop at two monitors);
• a PC World video that demonstrates how to set up a dual screen environment, even what you may need in the form of a video card (though most decent computers today should come with two connections for monitors)
• though somewhat dated, a New York Times article on the virtues of a second screen;

Believe me, there are lots of resources out there on this issue and a simple Google search that contains the words “multiple monitor” and the name of your operating system (e.g,. Windows Vista) should get you plenty of advice on how to set something up. But, if we can figure out how best to haul our hardware out to a future session, we’ll be there to demonstrate how best to do it.