I know I’m not the first person to stumble onto this set-up but after just a week with my dual monitor I wonder how I got along without it. A dual monitor set-up on your computer will allow you to get more done, simple as that.

This is my 19″ monitor hooked up with my laptop screen. I can open several programs and work back and forth. I can expand a file on one monitor and move all of the program toolboxes over to the other to get a better view of the work. I can make anything I want fly through the digital air from one screen to another.

If you want to check it out here are few things to know.

• You need two monitors, that much should be obvious
• You need a dual monitor video card – good news here is that most computers less than two years old probably have one
• You need to change your monitor settings to allow you to expand your desktop content to another monitor – you do this through your “control panel”

This is by no means a technical guide for how to set-up a dual monitor, but I think it’s worth the time and $200 for another monitor to get more work space. The first time you drag a program through the air to your second monitor you’ll be hooked.