Transcript: Body doubling

What body doubling is

Body doubling, also called parallel working, is a way to help you start and finish tasks. You work alongside one or more other people, and having them there helps you focus, stay motivated, and feel accountable.

The “body double” doesn’t have to be doing the same task as you. Just having them there gives you support and a bit of outside motivation. That’s especially helpful for neurodivergent people, or anyone who finds executive function or getting started hard. You can do it in person or online, formally or informally, and it can help with distractions and putting things off.

Why it’s catching on at work

Body doubling is becoming more popular at work, as part of a wider move towards working more collaboratively. A lot of people find it helps them focus and get more done.

In a 2024 survey of 2,000 UK workers by PPL PRS (external site), over two thirds (67%) said they felt distracted during the working day. 15% spent nearly two hours a day distracted, and 7% said they spent three hours. For a business, that adds up to a lot of lost time every year.

Body doubling comes from an idea in psychology called “social facilitation”: people tend to do better at tasks when other people are around. It’s thought to be especially helpful for neurodivergent people, particularly people with ADHD, and anyone who struggles with focus, motivation or executive function.

Body doubling can cut down distractions, and help with focus and motivation. It’s also a great way to connect with colleagues.

With more people working remotely or hybrid, people who like working around others can feel isolated. Body doubling can help with that, by giving a sense of community and connection.

Body doubling and ADHD

ADHD brains can find it hard to direct their own attention: knowing what needs doing, but finding it really hard to start. That can make people with ADHD more likely to put things off. Having someone there, even if they’re just quietly working alongside you, gives you outside structure, accountability and momentum.

A lot of the time, people know what they need to do, but can’t get started. Having a set time to start, and seeing or hearing someone else working, can really help.

Body doubling can also help you get motivated, or stay motivated. We’re social creatures, and having someone else around can make a boring task more fun.

ADHD brains can have less motivation from the inside. But outside things, like feedback from other people, or a sense of reward, can still motivate people with ADHD.

Managing emotions can also be hard with ADHD. Sometimes emotions get so strong that they get in the way of getting things done. Complicated, difficult or triggering tasks can lead to frustration, anxiety, and suddenly wanting to give up. A body double can help you see things differently, or help you stay calm.

It isn’t for everyone

Body doubling doesn’t work for everyone. You might end up chatting more than working.

Where you are can be distracting too. Cafés can have loud coffee machines, people talking, and music playing.

The right place won’t distract or disrupt you. Some people work best in total silence. Some need music. Some can’t cope with visual clutter. A place where you feel safe, supported and positively stimulated is best.

It’s important to learn what works for you.

The session

So let’s get into it! If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a huge to-do list, filled with things that you just don’t get time to do in your day-to-day life. Whether that’s replying to a message, calling the doctor, a bit of housework, or just making yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee. When I say “your thing”, I mean the task that you choose.

So this session is a bit of time for you to do something for you.

Body doubling is very flexible, so you can do whatever works for you. If you like to chat while you get things done, feel free to chat with anyone else on the call. If you’d like to chat, but with fewer people, I can open up a breakout room. If you prefer just existing together in silence, feel free to mute your laptop. I’ll pop a note in the chat when we’re ready to wrap up.

If you’re happy to have your camera on, please pop it on, but don’t feel pressured. For some people, seeing others getting things done can be enough to help them feel motivated. If you need some support with getting your thing done, either unmute, pop your hand up, or pop a message into the chat, and we can pair you up with someone in a breakout room to talk it through.

I’d love to know what your thing is: what are you trying to get done during this body doubling session? Before we get started, I’d love it if you could all pop your thing into the chat. If it’s personal, please feel free to make it as vague as you need.

Amazing, thank you all. When you finish your thing, pop a message in the chat so we can all celebrate!

Does anyone have any questions?

Fantastic, in which case, let’s get started!

Everyone then worked on their own thing. That part isn’t in my script.

Wrapping up

Okay everyone, I’m very aware we’re at the end of this session. I hope you all had a productive body doubling session, and well done if you started a thing that you’ve been putting off! Don’t worry if you didn’t have time to finish your thing, starting is half the battle!

If you’ve found body doubling helpful, you can suggest it to your team. My team does a lot of body doubling. We sit in Tuple for a lot of the day, sometimes helping each other with work, sometimes chatting while we work on different things, and sometimes just existing in the same virtual space while we all get things done separately.

Thank you all for coming along, and I hope you have the best Thursdays. See you all soon! Bye!