How to work efficiently on a single laptop screen
Constantly switching tabs to make financial statements makes working on a tiny laptop screen deeply frustrating. When half the job involves checking if numbers match across documents, the lack of a second monitor turns daily tasks into genuine torture.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Constantly switching windows or using alt-tabDid this help you?
- 2Using a single large monitor instead of dual monitorsDid this help you?
- 3Using portable monitors while travelingDid this help you?
- 4Using two to five external monitors in an office setupDid this help you?
- 5Using a single ultra-wide monitor divided into separate zonesDid this help you?
- 6Bringing portable monitors when traveling or visiting client sitesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Working with one screen is genuine torture”source ↗
“It's really hard to work on them on a tiny laptop screen though.”source ↗
“Like half of my job is checking if the number on one screen matches the number on the other screen. I'd be lost without a 2nd screen or oversized monitor”source ↗
“This all sounds entirely normal. I hate working from my laptop alone.”source ↗
“I bought two monitors during Covid because it was too frustrating switching tabs trying to make financial statements on a 10” laptop screen.”source ↗
“I know this might sound crazy but I feel like I just like using my work laptop on its own more, dual monitors just take up so much space in my room.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why are mobile product pages so cluttered?
- 11How to work on low energy days without feeling guilty
- 3Why can't I split screen on secure exam software?
- 3How to manage a project when the boss is the bottleneck
- 2Why does a high-end computer lag during basic multitasking?
- 4Why is my CRM so expensive and hard to customize?