Body Doubling
Not of the B-movie Sci Fi Variety.
A strategy that goes around for ADHDers to Get Stuff Done is body doubling, and honestly the name makes it sound much more invasive than it is.
The idea behind body doubling is that it’s easier for you to get work done if someone else is there too. This can look like meeting a friend for coffee and bringing your laptops for parallel work. Or inviting someone to run errands with you. Or working with someone else to get the chores done. It’s always easier for me to do housework when my husband is also doing housework, even if we’re on opposite sides of the house. Ever had a work-out buddy? That’s body doubling.
One type of body doubling is what a lot of people call “Co-Working”. This is when two or more people get together for a specified amount of time and work. You’re each working on your own thing, but stating your intentions at the beginning of the session, periodically checking-in, and claiming your wins at the end. This is great for people who find it difficult to initiate tasks, stay on task, or set and meet small goals.
Things I’ve used co-working for:
-writing
-creating social media posts
-responding to emails I’ve been avoiding
-making phone calls I’ve been avoiding
-tidying my office
-online shopping I’ve been avoiding
Notice a theme here? This use of body-doubling helps me start tasks that would otherwise just end up in my “I’ll get to it later” mental drawer.
Co-working has been a game-changer for me. In fact, I do all kinds of co-working. Every weekday morning, I meet with a co-working group on Zoom. Twice a week I get together for writing sprints with my friends at Wordsmith Workshops. And once a week I get together IRL with a friend to co-work on my back deck.
Did writer’s figure out body doubling before anyone else? Possibly. It’s a great tool for anyone who works from home or in freelance especially. There are even co-working cafes and spaces you can use. I haven’t tried those yet, because that involves going out in public, but it sounds like a good idea!
Have you tried co-working or another kind of body-doubling?