I am a BIG fan of body doubling. So much so that I now host regular online sessions as part of The Women's Self Care Club. If you're new to the concept of body doubling, read on to find out what it is and why it really does work!

What is body doubling?

Body doubling is when you work alongside another person, either in the real world or online, while each of you focuses on your own tasks. You're not collaborating or discussing your work; you are simply doing your tasks in the presence of someone else who is also doing theirs.

It is commonly used by people with ADHD (and I believe the concept originated from ADHD support interventions), but it is useful for anyone who struggles with task initiation, procrastination, or staying focused and on track.

I'm guilty of all three :)

Why body doubling works

It removes the barrier to starting

Have you ever put something off for as long as you possibly could, then when you finally do it, it was nowhere near as bad as you expected? Yeah, me too. This is a perfect example of how starting a task often takes more energy than actually doing the task.

When you're alone, it is easy to delay the first step. But when someone else is present, the transition into work becomes smoother. You don't have to negotiate with yourself, and you can't procrastinate because the other person is right there! You just begin.

It creates accountability

The awareness that someone else is there and also working keeps you accountable for following through on your work, too. That small amount of social presence is enough to keep you from drifting into avoidance or distraction. Or getting up to see if there's anything new in the fridge since you last looked 😅

I find that declaring what you want to achieve at the beginning of the session also helps with accountability. It feels really good to be able to say by the end that you actually did what you set out to do.

It reduces overwhelm

Overwhelm shows up for me as indecision or a sense of being stuck and unable to commit to anything that will move me forward. Body doubling helps regulate that feeling because being around someone who is calm or focused helps your nervous system relax.

I also find that it helps me pick one task to work on, instead of having a jumble of 100 possible things I could do whizzing around my head (which causes overwhelm that stops me from doing any of them).

It adds structure

The structure of a session helps you break down a task into smaller, more manageable pieces. You don't have to think about your entire To Do list; you only focus on the next block of time and the task you've set out to do. You have a clear start and end point, and then defined check-ins (depending on the set-up of the session). I like to have a mid-way check-in and 5-minute break in my 2-hour calls.

Who benefits from body doubling?

Body doubling is useful if you:

• Struggle to start tasks

• Get overwhelmed by a long To Do list

• Work from home and feel isolated or lonely (or just bored!)

• Need external structure to stay focused

• Have ADHD or ADHD‑like tendencies

• Run your own business

• Need some external accountability

Intrigued by body doubling and want to try it out? Come and join my calls! They're online video calls held on weekdays during office hours (UK time). I do have attendees from all over the world, though, so if you're in a different time zone, let me know and I can try to accommodate.

Follow me on Instagram! It's the best place to contact me and keep track of all the goings-on at The Women's Self Care Club. Search for @thewomensselfcareclub