Ask HN: Remote workers. Do you use/need a portable monitor?

5 points by seanmheff 9y ago ↗ HN

I have been working remotely for a couple of months now. I have worked from my (Irish) home office so far, using 2 external monitors with my MacBook Pro.

I am going to Ecuador in March and want to keep working, but I don't want to loose productivity. I feel going back to one monitor will really slow me down. Does anyone here use portable monitors while working on the road and have any recommendations?

4 comments

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19kuba22 9y ago ↗

I found the switch back to a single monitor to be pretty painless once I became used to using shortcuts like CMD + ` for switching windows.

Two is definitely better, but for me it wasn't worth the hassle.

amarraja 9y ago ↗

It will change your workflow and may slow you down to start, but I found reducing from two to one actually helped me focus a little more since the only thing on my screen is the thing I'm supposed to be looking at.

Get familiar with multiple desktops (crtl + <left>/<right>), then group your apps, e.g. 1) editor + term, 2) browser, 3) spotify, 4) email and you'll soon forget about an extra monitor

webology 9y ago ↗

You might checkout out [Duet](https://www.duetdisplay.com/) which I have used for years (currently on the 12.9 iPad Pro) and really takes the edge off for me. It works perfectly and turn an iPad into a damn good display.

sashagitlab 9y ago ↗

I've had amazing luck keeping email and slack separate on my iPad using Duet. It's been a life saver- especially when travelling.