Buy a Second Monitor -- It's Worth It
Jason Calacanis, superstar entrepreneur* and my personal hero, recently shared 18 ways to save money running a startup. Tip #2 is advice I couldn't agree with more, and it is useful for anyone that uses the computer extensively for work.
#2 Buy second monitors
My dual-monitor setup is the interface to all my work, and I love having lots of screen space. Getting rid of the claustrophobic feeling of a small monitor is more than worth the $600 or so I spent for the biggest monitors I could afford. (I currently sport a mismatched pair of 19" and 20" Samsung Syncmasters.)
Jason says second monitors pay for themselves in productivity:
Buy second monitors for everyone, they will save at least 30 minutes a day, which is 100 hours a year... which is at least $2,000 a year.... which is $6,000 over three years. A second monitor cost $300-500 depending on which one you get. That means you're getting 10-20x return on your investment... and you've got a happy team member.
Do your business a favor and give yourself more screen space. Buy as big as you can afford. Check out one of these huge but reasonably priced monitors:
20" is starting to feel small. It might be time for me to upgrade....
Hat tip to A VC (Fred Wilson).
** Jason Calacanis has founded several highly successful startups, including the original blog network Weblogs Inc. He is currently CEO of Mahalo, a human powered search engine.