[criddell]

I'm most productive on a single (big) 4k screen. I normally run at 125% scaling and it's perfect for my work (desktop application developer). My main Windows desktop is where I work (usually Visual Studio or PyCharm plus a browser) then I have a second virtual desktop where I have stuff that I need throughout the day, but use infrequently (music player, email, slack, skype). I have keyboard shortcuts to jump to any of my frequently used applications.

I'm easily distracted so I want to keep as few windows in view as possible.

I keep a book and a guitar near my desk and rather than jump to Reddit or HN when I'm rebuilding, I'll read a few pages, play some scales, or go make some tea.

[mark_l_watson]

+1 for keeping a book and guitar handy! I keep my guitar packed away but do keep an American Indian flute and a didgeridoo handy. I think music, played briefly while waiting for a machine learning experiment, large Haskell project build, etc. is much better than web browsing because it does not ruin focus.

[onetom]

+1 for playing some music as a form of break. When I was younger I often practiced simple songs on a tin-whistle, recorder, kaval or flute. I liked the saxophone the most but that requires too much maintenance, hence it's a distraction.