Bill Gates Talks About How He Works

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

On CNN, via DIGG: It sounds like one big advertisement for Microsoft products, but that’s not shocking, since he is the head of Microsoft. He writes about the virtues of Sharepoint and OneNote, and states that he has only the following up on his PC at all times:

The screen on the left has my list of e-mails. On the center screen is usually the specific e-mail I’m reading and responding to. And my browser is on the right-hand screen. This setup gives me the ability to glance and see what new has come in while I’m working on something, and to bring up a link that’s related to an e-mail and look at it while the e-mail is still in front of me.

It is good to be a CEO. Perhaps the best line is this:

On my desk I have three screens, synchronized to form a single desktop. I can drag items from one screen to the next. Once you have that large display area, you’ll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity.

I remember the days when I worked on one screen, and I am amazed that I ever got any work done. Two screens should now be the default setup for anyone working in more than 3-4 applications at any given time. There really is no option. So to anyone out there still on one screen, go to your boss and say you want a second. If this proves to be futile, point them to this article by Bill Gates. Bill Gates says so, and he is worth more money that your boss will ever be.