Whether I'm working on a small display or a large ultrawide one.
Having a good strategy organizing all my applications and windows on screen really helps me stay
productive while working on the computer.
I use a mixture of tools and Windows 10 features that allow me to quickly arrange my applications
in different layouts and easily divide up my large screen, I'm able to group applications
together with a tab structure so flipping between my apps or different reference material
is quick and easier to manage.
And when I need to switch to a completely different task or want to take a quick break,
a fresh virtual desktop is just a couple keystrokes away and then back again in a flash.
Hi I'm David and these are my favorite Productivity Apps and features I use on my Windows 10 PCs.
If you seen my other videos, you know how important Windows tiling tools are to me to
take full advantage of my large ultrawide monitors.
In my setup, By holding down the shift button, I can quickly drag and drop my windows into
this priority focus layout with the main app, being largest in the middle, and the sides
used for any reference material.
Or if I want to compare more documents side by side, using the Windows and Tilda shortcut,
I can choose my 4 up layout to put everything up into 4 equal windows.
Or now if I need to start video editing.
I also have a profile for that where Premiere Pro can occupy most of the screen on the right.
I can do all of this, and still have the flexibility to manually resize the applications, and free
float other reference tools and windows as I see fit.
I used to use DisplayFusion for this, and have even used the packaged Dell Display Manager
for a while too, but I've now switched to using the Window's PowerToys FancyZone feature
instead.
It's perfectly capable for this typical workflow, works on my all Windows devices, and it's
free.
In my experience there's been some odd bugs here and there using the app, the alignment
of windows isn't perfect with stuff overlapping or leaving weird gaps, and if you have a multi-monitor
setup you have to use workarounds to get it to work.
But regardless, I highly recommend it and even find value using it on my smaller screens
to optimize the limited space.
Next up is the app called Groupy, which basically lets you put all your applications into tabs
similar to the way your web browser does.
For my workflow sometimes, I can have 10, 15 plus applications running at the same time.
And finding the right one buried in the taskbar is an inefficient workflow for me.
Instead with Groupy I drop all my tools applications like to do lists, notes, emails, file explorers
together into one floating window.
And can easily switch between them with the tabs on top.
Next I'll group together all my relevant reference material together like web browser, excel
sheets, word documents and arrange that to the side.
Again with all the tabs quickly accessible at top I can switch between all my reference
material and organize them in a way that makes sense for me to quickly flip through them
and find what I need.
And finally that main window in the middle where I'll put the primary document I'm working
on.
Usually this is just one application but if I need to update one of those reference documents,
it's easy for me to move it from one group to the other, or even free float it, or back
to where it started again to keep everything nice and organized.
This has been a huge help to me keeping organized with multiple windows open and find it just
as beneficial when screen real estate is limited on my laptops, and works well in combination
with the FancyZone feature to lay the groups across the screen.
In my experience, don't be surprised again if you encounter the odd bug when using this
grouping tool.
And this is a paid application that costs about $5 but at least the Steam version lets
you install it onto up to 5 devices concurrently.
Also, I recommend testing out the free trial before just to make sure it works for you
before buying it.
And finally the last feature I'll mention is the Window Multiple Desktops feature.
Once in a while, during my work I'll need to switch tasks to something completely unrelated.
Instead of cluttering my screen with more applications.
Pressing the shortcut Control Window D opens up a fresh desktop so I can do something like
pull up Photoshop and related artwork to make creative edits.
And when I'm done I can quickly swap back and forth between the different workflows
with a simple shortcut key.
I try to use this feature sparingly because it does have some odd quirks that can quickly
lead you to a path of being even more confused and disorganized.
But it's a nice way to change focus or take a break without needing to minimize all the
windows or add extra clutter to your existing screen.
So in the end.
I'm really happy with these new tools and features I can leverage to optimize my workflow
working with multiple documents and applications on my Windows PCs.
But if you have any suggestions or other apps you recommend, let me know in the comments
below.
But hope you guys enjoyed this one.
You know what to do.
And I'll see you in the next video.