I’m about as mature as a 14-year-old kid when it comes to my tech toys. The only issue is that now I have adult money… and a wife who encourages me… and some level of impulse control… and a love of the Batcave. OK, look—we’ve got a lot to go through here, so let’s just carry on, shall we?
Like most of us, when Covid hit, we had to set up our offices at home. I (being a nerd) already had my desk set up, but I do like having a place where I can dig into work, writing, and whatever else I need to get done to feel productive. Now, I could definitely get into some kind of talk about Feng Shui and how the chakra of the room needs to be right or something, but honestly—I’m a tech blogger, and I don’t really understand those things.
What I can talk about is my gigantic screen.
I was (to be honest) turned onto the idea by my brother-in-law, who showed me the one he had. Jealousy was lit on fire inside me, and I bought one as soon as I could both pay for it and get my wife to agree to let me indulge. Since I got it (a couple years ago), I’ve loved using it—and I’m going to have a hard time going back.
More screen = more room to think (and sprawl)
I like spreading out in my workspace. When I was a younger human and had to organize a paper filing system (everything was hard copy), I loved putting things on my desk and spreading them out as much as humanly possible. It made it easier to see everything and keep it organized. Now that most of my space is digital, I’ve still (to a degree) kept the habit. I like having multiple screens whenever I can, but having one big massive screen at home means I can spread things out on one display and not worry as much about what program or file is hiding where.
I work on multiple things at once (because my brain does that)
Sometimes I feel a little scatterbrained, and when I try to work on one thing, I end up working on three or four things at once. I’ll pay bills, write a blog post, and sort emails—all in the same “focus session.” I used to spend half my time switching between windows. I was basically wearing out my “CTRL+TAB” function. Now that I have a much bigger screen, I can physically spread out what I’m working on so “switching tasks” often just means moving my mouse from one area to another. That said, I still use “CTRL+TAB”… just not nearly as much.
Deep voice “I’M BATMAN.”
Growing up, I always marveled at Batman’s computer in the cave. It was a MAAAAASIVE screen, and he could see and work on so much at once. I was super jealous. Now, the one I have at home isn’t nearly as big as that one, but it still works for me. That feeling of working on a huge screen and getting a tiny taste of “favourite superhero energy” brings me joy—and puts a smile on my face every time I look at my setup. Yes, I have multiple screens plus the big one. Don’t judge.
It’s important that you love the space where you’re working—whether it’s your office at work or your home office. You have to enjoy being there. There’s also a functionality piece (I promised I’d get to it). For me, the big screen brings the fun and the practicality: more workspace, less frantic window-hopping, and the ability to focus on multiple subjects at once without the hassle of trying to “CTRL+TAB” through a bunch of open files and programs.
So… would you want a bigger screen?
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