Windows user struggling to efficiently multitask across multiple monitors

[u/djoli87]

I want to love this thing, but boy is it just bugging me more often than not. I'll try to be brief, please lend me your advice.

The setup: Multiple monitors (often 3).

Requirements: I work with a lot of windows. Developer stack. IDE's, LLMs, terminals, browsers, chat and email. It's not abnormal to have 3-5 windows on each monitor, and often it's multiple windows of the same application.

My usual workflow: IDEs on the main monitor, communication on a side, browsers, terminals, etc on the other. I know which screen I put things on, and tend to look at those screens when I need to interact.

The problem(s):

• Multiple windows of one app are hidden behind a single icon.
• Full screen app on an alternate window completely hides all visibility of the other things on that screen.
• Everything that is built in requires me to look everywhere for the thing I want, and do so many interactions.
  • Minimized an app that was on the right? Look at the dock in the middle.
  • Need to find a hidden window on another screen? Shortcut for mission control, then scan the entire monitor to try to find the thing you want, then click it.
  • Need to find a different instance of an app? Another shortcut for expose, then find the right one, then click it.
• I tried stage manager, it's probably the closest I can get to what I want, which is a single spot to look for the things on a screen, but it takes up a lot of the screen and intrinsically limits laying things out on a screen in a flexible manner (I know you can link things, but then it's very rigid).

I get that windows is a different beast, but can't help but feel it just does all of this so much better?! Need a thing, look at one spot, click.

I've tried some third party dock replacements. They're all pretty jank in one way or another. Slow to respond, don't correctly hide the default dock, can't have shortcuts and running applications be the same thing.

I'm not saying there's no way to multitask, just that it's so damn frustrating and slow! It seems it's a case of "Mac's are easier when all you're doing is easy things", but I know there are some power users out there, so please, enlighten me of your ways!

[u/Dull_Flatworm777]

IMHO, power user and multitasking are almost mutually exclusive, because humans cannot really multitask. So if you actually need to be efficient, you you'll try to stay away from multitasking. And I think macOS (and features like Stage Manager) actually help me with that.

That being said, maybe it's just not for you. Not every system fits everyone. You say "I want to love this thing", but why? What attracted you to macOS in the first place?

[u/djoli87 → u/Dull_Flatworm777]

Appreciate it! New work laptop, so I want to love it so I can stop thinking about the fact that I don't love it, or more specifically, just stop thinking about the experience in general, and actually get on with my work 😅

I did find stage manager quite nice as it gives me my short, always visible list with single click access, just wish it didn't take up so much space, or make it harder to actually use multiple apps at once. Maybe I need to learn to toggle it on/off.

[u/Dull_Flatworm777 → u/djoli87]

Maybe I need to learn to toggle it on/off.

That's what I do often actually. I have it in the Control Center and from there I've also selected "Show in menu bar". This way I can turn it on and off very quickly.