I used to have that same thought with my n>1 monitors setups. Then I realized I was using one monitor for "dashboarding" and one for development. And a lot of v

I used to have that same thought with my n>1 monitors setups. Then I realized I was using one monitor for "dashboarding" and one for development. And a lot of virtual workspaces. So when I got my macbook, I decided not to plug extra screens into it for a while. I find that it keeps the distractions out of mind while focusing on something. So my current setup goes: A virtual desktop for each of the following: browsing, comms, notetaking. And the rest of my desktops (usually 9 total) partitioned per-project. When doing web dev stuff, i tend to put a browser in one desktop for that project, and dev stuff in the desktop immediately to the right of it. When I'm in an appropriate place, (home, work, the occasional hotel room where heavy dev is going on between meetings et al), I'll arrange another computer or attached monitor/tv to do dashboarding (preferring the another computer approach). The dashboard has test pass/fail lists, tailing logs, other information as needed for the particular project. It makes it easier to ignore, but accessible when needed. One thing the reduced screen space has done for me is help me identify opportunities for good dev practice. For example, if I find myself annoyed at the number of times I'm switching between vim and the terminal, it might be time to write a script that I can call (or even hotkey) from vim. It also helped me learn to use tabs/windows in vim and eclipse better and more productively, because I couldn't just put them next to each other anymore. Now when I do have the option for mutliple screens, one is usually blank anyway, because I find myself anoyed at switching windows, even if its a simple mouse move away. Of course, this is just my experience, influenced by my preferences, but hopefully it can give you some insight into other modes of working :)