What is ADHD Body Doubling? | ADHD Body Doubling Online Resources
What in the world is body doubling?
Not to worry if you’re unfamiliar, and no it doesn’t involve cloning.
ADHD coach Linda Anderson defines the practice of body doubling as creating a…
““physical anchor — a grounding presence that keeps the distracted individual planted firmly in their seat, and on task.””
I don't know about you, but I:
✔️ am a distracted individual.
✔️ could use a physical anchor or grounding presence.
✔️ need help to stay in my seat and on task.
Myself and many of my clients have experienced the benefits of body doubling when it comes to our ADHD. That’s why on today’s episode we are discussing what body doubling is, how it can help with ADHD, and some ways you can easily body double when you’re struggling to get things done.
What is ADHD body doubling?
By definition, body doubling means to work simultaneously completing tasks they find boring or frustrating along side another person.
If you’ve ever noticed it’s easier to work at a coffee shop or in an office, Study at a library, Take a group exercise class or train for a race with a group, or Fold laundry while you’re watching TV with your family you were most likely experiencing the benefits of body doubling.
There is just something that happens to our brains that helps jump start our motivation and task initiation when there are other people around.
And just to clarify, your body double does not need to be working on the same task or project or help you with what you are working on. In fact, there are times when you can use body doubling where the double may not even know you exist like working in a coffee shop or using a YouTube “Clean with me” video.
It is merely about setting aside time to work on a specific project in the presence of other people.
How body doubling can help ADHD
I know, I know. It sounds way to simple to actually work if you haven’t tried it before. And while there aren’t really any specific studies or research out there to explain why it works, there are some pretty good theories as to why body doubling is so helpful when you have ADHD. First, it provides a sense of…
Obligation – Seeing as many of us ADHDers are very often people pleasers, we don’t want to be responsible for wasting our body doubling partner’s time. The presence of the other person or people, whether in real life or online, provides a sort of anchor that can stimulate the ADHD brain into saying “I really don’t want to work on this tax stuff right now, but I asked Mary if she would body double me during this time to work on it so I guess I’ll work on it.” Obligation to others can also help serve as a sort of accountability, which as we’ve discussed previously can greatly help with…
Activation and Motivation – Because many of us with ADHD often struggle with motivation and task initiation, especially for something we find less than exciting or interesting, we may need a little extra umph to get going. Body doubling can provide that extra umph because a) you’ve set aside a specific time to work on a specific task or project that you’re struggling with b) it may be easier to get started because you’re body doubling session is typically limited to a specific amount of time and c) we feel obligated to do what we said we were going to do during the scheduled body doubling time.
In most situations, body doubling works because you choose a specific project, set aside a specific time to do the work, and feel accountable or obligated to follow through because of the other person involved.
And speaking of body doubling working for you, let’s wrap up today with some examples of how you can incorporate body doubling into your routine to help with motivation and task intitiation.
Ways to ADHD Body Double
Go somewhere public
While it doesn’t exactly meet the definition of body doubling in terms of the obligation and accountability of people around you, taking your laptop to a coffee shop, studying at a library, or actually going into the office to work with co-workers can trigger the same benefits to motivation and task initiation.
I spent the Fall writing episodes while I sat at my son’s swim practice. And I will say, when I stopped staying for the practices, writing my episodes got quite a bit harder. So if you’re sitting at home, staring at a screen, struggling to start…head to your local coffee shop, library, or other populated area that could help trigger your work flow. And if you need a bit more accountability, you could try
Ask a friend
Scheduling a specific time with a specific person to work on a specific task is the definition of body doubling. And if you’re struggling to tackle a task, see if a friend or family member will body double with you.
You’ll want to be sure to choose a partner who will aid in your task not distract you from the work. The body doubling itself, whether in person or online, is not a chance to catch up or socialize.
The great thing is, if you have a willing partner, you’ve got an amazing resource to help you work towards completing task for your business and your home that you might feel less than enthusiastic about.
And remember, your body doubling partner is not working on the same thing. You could be folding laundry, they could be washing dishes. You could be planning social media content, they could be replying to emails they’ve been neglecting. Pick a time, pick a task, pick a partner and go! And if you can’t think of a good friend or family member to partner with you could try
Online videos and livestreams
While I hesitate to encourage anyone with ADHD to head to YouTube or TikTok if they are trying to get work done, you can find great videos and livestreams of people to body double with online.
If you search for body doubling, work with me, clean with me, etc you can find a whole host of options to pull up on your phone, tv, or computer that may just give you that “someone is watching me” push you need to get tasks done. And if you think you’ll need a little interaction in your session, you can try…
Online body doubling subscriptions
If you try out some of the methods I suggested previously or think you’d like to try body doubling in one of it’s most true forms, there are many amazing body doubling sites online for you to check out.
There’s Focusmate which provides 1-on-1 sessions and you can join up to 3 free sessions per week or subscribe for unlimited sessions. https://www.focusmate.com/
Or there’s Flow Club which offers focus sessions pretty much around the clock where you can choose the type of session you want based on length, similar goals, no talking if you just want to work, and so much more for your monthly subscription. https://flow.club
Or if you’re motivated by rewards, try Deepwrk (no o) where the more you book and complete a session, the more rewards you can earn, helping to gamify the productivity process. https://www.deepwrk.io/
And if you’re still struggling with your ADHD motivation and productivity, I would love to help you out with some accountability. Click the button below to schedule a free, no-obligation chat with me to discuss how I can help support you in creating better balance in your work and home life while creating the success you know is possible.
