When I first started blogging, I had no predispositions about my blogging setup at all. I was more worried about sounding boring, having terrible graphics, or not getting enough content out to my viewers. Fast forward to today, over six years later, and I certainly have an opinion. For those of you working on a 13-inch laptop sitting on your lap while at Starbucks or someone else working on a Surface Pro that has to sit on a flat surface, or even someone that is using their home computer, let me say that there is more.
That last paragraph sounded pretentious and honestly, I spent about five minutes seeing if I could communicate what I wanted to say without that negative vibe. I can’t. (Jon Acuff, I need something witty now!) But I am not writing this to be a snob, but to share with you where I am at with my blogging setup. My current blogging layout is a desktop computer at work with dual monitors on an L-shaped 5 foot by 3 foot desk. For someone that is terrible at finding organization and gets easily distracted, this may be the best blogging setup I have ever had.
Here’s why:
- I have space to layout my work. Whether this is counseling work for my job or the rare time I have a physical copy of something I need to blog about, I have the desk space to put it somewhere. Unlike my local Starbucks or couch at home where I have to be awkward about papers or my coffee mug.
- Using the work desktop has been so convenient because I am distraction FREE! What can take me an hour to blog about at home may take me 30 minutes and instantly I feel like I have time to proof what I have written as well as creative juices to come up with more articles! The one draw back to this is the lack of blogging software including Google Chrome, Adobe Photoshop, and other pieces. So instead, I write up the bulk of the text and put the polish on when I get home.
- The dual screens may be the least impactful overall, yet there are times this is a godsend. Two times this has been most helpful. Writing an article after having had an email dialogue where article details are discussed. Instead of having to copy/paste the text into WordPress, I am able to just jump screens and write till my heart is content. The other instance this is helpful is with research. Too many times at home I have to jump back and forth between screens multiple times. Makes for a very unproductive use of my time.
- More than anything, I am SO happy to work on a computer that has a large screen with a great resolution to it. Blogging on an iPhone, tablet, or computer with limiting screen space means I am always scrolling up and down to see what I had written and continue the dialogue. It’s frustrating and actually had impacted my quality of content to some degree.
Can this setup be better? Definitely.
Will this setup be best for everyone? Certainly not.
But for me, right now, I am extremely happy with what I have at my disposal.
What would you say is your best blogging setup?
[The upside down desk image via gato-gato-gato via Compfight cc]
Bill says
You didn’t say anything about the anti-gravity feature that would be part of this setup (based on the picture)
Eric Dye says
I, too, am curious. I could see the benefits of having all that blood rushing to your brain. I imagine this really helps the creativity, or at least gives you a fresh perspective on things.
Andrew Fallows says
To be honest, I’ve never quite understood how some people seem to actually be happy doing their work (regardless what work that might be) from 13-inch laptop with nothing more.
I’m a web developer, and for me personally a single monitor (especially a monitor smaller than 20″) is unquestionably not ideal. Obviously there are a lot of reasons (cost, need to relocate, being in a meeting, etc) that having a laptop and using only its built in screen are a necessity, and having the *option* to be mobile is fantastic. But when people tell me that they don’t see a need for more screen space than a 13″ or 15″ laptop, my reply to them is universally “You must never have used a 27″ monitor”.
Sometimes it makes me feel really old (and I’m not, I’m 26!) but I’m constantly amazed by how much people are not just willing, but seem to prefer doing things on mobile devices like small laptops, tablets, and smartphones. I gladly do many things from my smartphone when it’s the only thing on hand, but I’d never do work from my phone that I could do from my desktop.
As with most differences, I tend to assume that people doing something I don’t understand are doing it because of something I don’t know about.
I’d love to hear from people who tend to do work from mobile devices: do you prefer it (and if so, why)? Is it just a necessity for you right now?