Working from home has introduced a new set of problems: miscommunication, technical problems, interrupted voices and never ending meetings between them.
That’s why it’s important to be proactive and discover new ways to shift your focus. Click here for the tools that technology companies are offering for free You can also take proactive steps to make the task easier. One of our favorite ways to increase productivity at home is to use two screens.
Basically, all the subtleties of multi-tasking are made very easy with the dual-screen setup. After all, it’s easy to do. Here’s how to get started.
Whatever you need
First, let’s look at some of the things you’ll need.
Second Monitor: Consider the amount of desk space you have and make sure you get two screens that can comfortably fit your desk or can be mounted on a wall if you go that way.
VGA or DVI cord: These two carry its analog signals. DVI connectors are newer and provide a better performance than VGA cords
An open VGA or DVI port: VGA ports are short and blue, while a DVI port is small, with three long rows of black squares.
How to connect a second monitor
Either look at the back of your computer and you will see a long strip of ports. On laptops, these ports are on the side. There’s Ethernet, USB, HDMI and DisplayPort, and if you have a dedicated graphics card, you’ll also see vertical ports.
Now, check the ports on your monitor. If one monitor has HDMI and the other has VGA or DVI, you can go. If you do not see a VGA or DVI port on the monitor, then you need to add an adapter like below to your shopping list.
Once you are sure you have everything you need, connect your second monitor to a power outlet. Then, take your VGA or DVI cord and plug one end of your other monitor. The other end connects to a port on your computer.
Now that everything is in the right place, how do you make sure your computer settings reflect your new workplace?
A Mac feather
Before you get started, check out how many displays your Mac supports. Select Apple Menu> About this Mac. Click Support, then click Specifications. On the displayed webpage, the number of views that your Mac supports will be displayed under Video Support.
Extended desktop mode allows you to use full-screen applications and windows, and your dock will appear on the monitor you are currently using.
Now, it should be good to start your work. But what if you have a laptop? The good news: there’s a way to connect one or two monitors to your laptop.
How to connect monitor to laptop
If you have trouble working on the small screen, a new monitor may be a good option for you.
First, check out the video options on your laptop and monitor. Do you have HDMI port, VGA / DVI port or DisplayPort? If you work on a Mac laptop, you have several options: an HDMI port, but you can also find a mini DisplayPort or USB-C, which is oval.
Next, look for matching inputs on your monitor. Once you’ve found a match, select the appropriate cable and connect one end to the video output of your laptop. Take the other end and plug it into your monitor.
Next, connect to a power outlet and turn on the monitor. If you have multiple input options, choose HDMI, VGA or whichever option best suits your setup.
All you have to do now is make sure that your computer settings reflect this change.
Find your ideal set up. Your email may be open on one screen all day and the other is where you get things done. If you are a writer, maybe one is for screen research and the other for writing. If you are comparing PDF or Word documents, you can place each document on a separate screen. This is especially useful for editing or word processing work, as it allows you to compare the edited document with the original.
Remember to keep track of your mouse. When you have multiple displays, it’s easy to forget where your mouse has gone if you don’t pay attention. If your mouse does not move smoothly between the displays, it helps to adjust the lines of your screen (step 2 above).
You’re all ready, and we can bet that once you start using dual monitors, it’s hard to go back to just one.