Body Doubling? What’s that?

What is Body Doubling?

Have you ever gone to a coffee shop to get your work done?  Or met a friend at the library for a study session? What about inviting a friend over to hang out while you organize your closet or garage?

“‘Body Doubling’ in its simplest terms means sitting with another person while you both work or going somewhere where there are other people also working.”

Did you know there is a term for this ADHD strategy for attacking onerous tasks?  They call it “Body Doubling”. In its simplest terms it means sitting with another person while you both work or going somewhere where there are other people also working.  There’s even a website called FocusMate that matches people up for online body doubling sessions.

I first heard the term when one of my kids in elementary school was having real issues with homework.  When I shared the problem with a friend they suggested Body Doubling.  “You don’t even have to help them with their homework, just sit next to them and do your own thing while they work on their pages.”  It sounded like a ridiculously simple solution to something that become a very big problem in our house and I doubted it’s effectiveness until our third tear-free night of homework.  That was the night I became a believer in Body Doubling.

I’ve since come to realize I’ve frequently been a Body Doubler myself.  I love working in coffee shops and libraries.  In school my best friend and I frequently met at the library to study. I still do body doubling with my kids when they have homework and I get just as much out of the sessions as they do.

Why is Body Doubling So Effective?

While it can be used anytime, it’s a great tool for projects you are struggling with.  There are a lot of reasons body doubling works. 

It is a gentle form of accountability.  If you’ve made a date with a friend to co-work at a coffeeshop, you’re far more likely to show up and do what you said you would do.  It’s also a lot harder to flip over to social media when your friend is right there toiling away. 

“It is a gentle form of accountability.  If you’ve made a date with a friend to co-work at a coffeeshop, you’re far more likely to show up and do what you said you would do.  It’s also a lot harder to flip over to social media when your friend is right there toiling away.  ”

There’s also an energetic element to it.  If everyone at a cafe or in the library is hard at work, it can feel motivating. 

It also creates a definitive time structure.  If you’ve signed up for FocusMate you know you’re in it for a half hour or hour long session.  If a friend is coming over for a work session, you know they aren’t staying indefinitely.  And if you’re at a cafe or library you know you either have somewhere else to be later or they will close.  That’s helpful for a lot of people with ADHD as it creates a subtle time pressure which can often motivate someone with ADHD, but it can also help prevent unhealthy stretches of hyper focus. 

Body Doubling can also be an anchor for some people.  The ADHD brain can get easily distracted, but when you are working in the presence of another person they are a reminder that this moment is for working. 

Body Doubling also feels good.  It’s nice to see a friend.  It’s fun to go to coffee shops.  There can be some great people watching moments in a library.  It is important to stay focused on the work you intend to get done during a body doubling session, but there is no denying that being connected to others often feels good which can sometimes change how you are feeling about a project you had previously been struggling with.

I find with most of my clients, they’re already pros at Body Doubling they just haven’t identified it. Once we start talking about this technique, they will eagerly chime in. “Oh yea, I actually have a friend I regularly do co-working sessions with.” “Huh, I do like going to coffeeshops to get work done, but I always thought it was about the caffeine.”  Being able to identify Body Doubling as a technique that you have used and works for you, means that now you can put it in your toolbox and pull it out the next time you are stuck on a task you are a really dreading.  Then afterwards, come back here and let me know how it went!