I know that your question is more about productivity/managing with less space, but at the very least, to make your life easier I recommend Stay for OS X. If yo

I know that your question is more about productivity/managing with less space, but at the very least, to make your life easier I recommend Stay for OS X. If you go from a dual monitor setup to solo and back a lot, Stay will manage your windows and keep them in the same position (and crucially, the same size) when you plug your monitor back in. https://itunes.apple.com/app/stay/id435410196 https://itunes.apple.com/app/stay/id435410196