When I got my new job recently at Smartly.io, I was given a choice of a MacBook Pro with a 13-inch or 15-inch screen. I chose the bigger screen and now, I have to say, 13 inch is the sweet spot.

I chose the 15-inch over the 13 mainly because I’d never owned a laptop with such a big screen. I wondered what it would do to my productivity and how much it would improve my experience when working on code. I dreamt that it meant I’d become a superstar programmer because of that extra screen real estate that is so valuable when coding.

What I failed to predict was how much more an effort it is to move around with a 15-inch laptop and how it can be less lovely of a workhorse than something… less. I know how that sounds - first-world problems, right?

Well, right. That would indeed be a first-world problem if this post was about griping at screen sizes.

The real point I’m trying to bring across is that bigger is not always better.

I’m writing this on my old 13-inch personal MacBook Air because the screen is more focused. The display displays less. As a result, the battery life is also about three or four times longer lasting on a full charge despite being older.

So in fact, newer is not always better either.

I’m going to treasure this MacBook Air of mine because it is a focused piece of technology. In my particular situation, this is a better machine than the shiny 15 inch MacBook Pro that I received from my employer.

I try to remember, it’s not about the bigger or the shinier. It is all about whether it gets the job done and fits your life.

Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash.