What Is Body-Doubling? (And How to Use it to Increase Motivation and Accountability)
By Catherine Mutti-Driscoll, MA, PhD, CALC
Director of Executive Function Coaching, Hallowell Todaro
What is Body-Doubling?
Have you heard of body doubling yet? Many people (including many of those with ADHD) are recognizing the motivating benefits that body doubling can have. The PsychCentral (2022) blog defines body doubling as “...having another person around while you work on a task.” Most of the time, the other person does not help you with your task; they are just present and, oftentimes, working on a different task that your presence is providing body doubling for them. Body doubling can occur in person or online.
Why Does Body Doubling Work?
To date, researchers do not know why body doubling works so well but speculate that the social component of working with another person stimulates dopamine production in the brain (PsychCentral, 2022). Another reason it may assist many people who struggle with procrastination and motivation is that someone else working provides a sense of accountability. For example, in body doubling sessions with the online “Accountability and Productivity Group” that I co-lead at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center-Seattle, we add in some extra accountability by sharing verbally what we plan to work on at the beginning of the session, then having focused quiet work time and then checking in at the end of the session to see how everything went. External accountability, whether provided in a deadline, an appointment, or other timeframe for performance provided by an outside source, can be very helpful for many people with ADHD or executive function challenges.
How to Try Body Doubling
If you think body doubling or increasing levels of accountability might help you, here are some ways to try it out by joining a group or recruiting people you know:
Check-in with a friend before and after you complete a task
Ask a friend to come over while you complete a task
Ask a friend to join you on Facetime, zoom, or Google meets while you do a task
Sign up for a service like focusmate.com or a group like the accountability and productivity group and drop in when you can or have a tricky task to activate or accomplish on your own.
Body Doubling: A Simple Trick That Works
As someone with ADHD, I get a lot more done during accountability sessions. I have completed tasks such as admin, homework for graduate school, writing, and packing during sessions. Others in the Accountability and Productivity Group get organized, cook, do dishes, work on work tasks, call the insurance company, etc. The sky is the limit! If you can incorporate one or more of these strategies, I encourage you to do so! Body doubling and accountability can make a huge difference for many of us :-)
Reference:
Psychcentral (2022, May 11). ADHD Body Doubling. https://psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-body-doubling
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