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Body doubling

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Summary

  • Users say working alongside someone brings companionship and a reminder to keep going; tasks can differ.
  • Try a shared room, a call, a public space, or a study recording.

Ways to apply

  1. On your own

    Free, no special equipment to buy

    1. Pick a task that is hard to start alone; find someone willing to work quietly alongside you.
    2. Agree to share a room or stay on a call, each doing your own work; no task guidance is needed.
    3. If attention feels stressful, try working alone in a library, with people nearby for company.
    4. If no one is available, try playing a recording of someone studying quietly.
    5. Notice whether starting and continuing feel easier; adjust the form of company to suit you.

A companion can work on a different task

Proposed in research

Survey respondents worked alongside people doing different things; the other person’s presence served as a reminder to keep going(Eagle et al., 2023). Seeking company for procrastination does not require finding someone who can guide the task.

Body doubling centers on having others present during work. Regular progress reports belong to a progress check-in agreement. For attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), practicing skills such as planning belongs to ADHD coaching.

If being watched feels stressful, try a public space

Proposed in research

The researchers describe forms of company ranging from mutual awareness of each other’s work to working separately in a café. Respondents differed in how much attention and prompting they wanted(Eagle et al., 2023).

If one-to-one company adds pressure, quiet company in a public space is an option to try.

If no one is available, try a study recording

Proposed in research

Some respondents played recordings of people studying, finding companionship in the person on screen without needing to arrange a shared time(Eagle et al., 2023).

Evidence

References (1)
  1. Cohort studyProposing Body Doubling as a Continuum of Space/Time and Mutuality: An Investigation with Neurodivergent ParticipantsEagle Tessa, Baltaxe-Admony Leya Breanna, Ringland Kathryn E. (2023). The 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility