I downgraded from two monitors to one, then to a laptop when I started traveling while working. Now I can work from an iPad if necessary.
At first I had to change because I can't fit a big monitor into a backpack (though I have seen digital nomads in coffee shops using two monitors). Over time I found that I can focus better on one screen and one window. I don't need a bunch of windows on multiple screens to work (programming and system admin). Those just distract without adding much to getting my work done.
Now I tend to interpret multiple large monitors as status symbols or productivity performance art. I probably have a bias because I started programming on 80x24 dumb terminals (ADM-3a, VT100) and some of my core work habits and skills formed around limited hardware. Since I still spend most of my time reading pages of code I normally focus on just a portion of the display. The ability to view hundreds of lines of code or multiple files across two monitors just jerks my focus around.
At first I had to change because I can't fit a big monitor into a backpack (though I have seen digital nomads in coffee shops using two monitors). Over time I found that I can focus better on one screen and one window. I don't need a bunch of windows on multiple screens to work (programming and system admin). Those just distract without adding much to getting my work done.
Now I tend to interpret multiple large monitors as status symbols or productivity performance art. I probably have a bias because I started programming on 80x24 dumb terminals (ADM-3a, VT100) and some of my core work habits and skills formed around limited hardware. Since I still spend most of my time reading pages of code I normally focus on just a portion of the display. The ability to view hundreds of lines of code or multiple files across two monitors just jerks my focus around.