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Comment by pc86 | Hacker News Reader

Such a minor part of your comment, but I simply cannot focus on anything if my apps aren't all fullscreen. I have two monitors, and two applications visible at any time. Right now I have this on one screen and a non-work YouTube video on the other (Your Mom's House is a great podcast btw, especially if you already have YT premium).

I have trouble focusing, I don't think quite to the level of ADHD, but it would be so much worse if I had 4 or 5 apps on each screen.

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> I don't think quite to the level of ADHD

Or you found coping mechanisms. We all figure out what works for us. Like drinking a ton of coffee or things with caffeine... you're self medicating with your stimulant of choice.

You know, it's funny how different we are all when it comes to this.

I need all my apps visible in a tiled arrangement. Shuffling windows shatters my flow. I literally cannot have enough screen real estate. My dream is something like a curved 48" 8K monitor filling my entire field of view at 300dpi. (Vision Pro?)

I know a lot of people, ADHD and otherwise, like me in this regard.

I also know a guy like you, diagnosed with ADHD FWIW, who takes it a little further than you. He needs his apps fullscreened, and can't even do multiple monitors. One screen, one app.

I don't know how the f-- he works that way but I'm jealous. He's effective and has no trouble working on a 13" laptop in a coffee shop or whatever.

I had a coworker a few years ago who worked ONLY on his laptop. No monitors. No keyboard. No mouse. He programmed all day on a 13" Macbook Pro.

I will never understand it because I absolutely hate having full screen windows and I am almost worthless working off my laptop when traveling. Just lots of frustration juggling windows back and forth. I always have 2 or 3 apps side by side on my 48" and I have a 28" 16:18 DualUp monitor next to it for long text/dev.

I didn't work with him so I don't know how productive he actually was but I've always been curious if he kept up with the people who had 2-3 monitors and input devices. I have a hard time believing that he did but no actual idea.

Damn, that's crazy. Yeah, I don't see how that's physically or mentally possible. Completely alien to me.

The "laptop only, one app only" guy I knew actually was really verifiably productive. Which again is insane. We were working on a big Rails monolith. A task that inherently involves working with dozens of files simultaneously and looking at things up and down the stack while also looking at documentation and running code in the browser.

Not sure if you ever watch programmers on twitch, but check out ThePrimeagen, I think he's a perfect example of someone who really understands his tool of choice. One screen, one app, one window, and he navigates through code bases faster than anyone I've seen. It's a pretty entertaining stream too if his super high energy style isn't off-putting to you.

I've known a few of the "one monitor, minimal peripherals" types as well. When I think back to the "most productive" (whatever that means) half dozen or so people I've worked with, it's a mix of both. I don't think there's anything inherently better or worse about either approach, just a matter of finding what works best for your specific mix of discipline, interest, and brain chemistry.

I actually enjoy working on laptops directly but the keyboards always do me in. Just a little too cramped for my wrist/arms, and if I'm adding an external keyboard the monitor is just a bit too far away so I'm back to the normal docked setup.

That's fairly common. Think back to old school paper workflows or studying for school. Some people can concentrate with 5 books open and papers strewn all over the place. Others can't stand to have but one book open and one sheet of notes.

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