Body Doubling and How it Can Work for You

You’ve tried everything you can think of to make your work time more productive. To-do lists, timers, goal setting, and you still find that you have a hard time focusing when you want to work. I’ve got a strategy that you can add to your toolbox to help!

I’d like to introduce you to the concept of body doubling. With this strategy, you use the energy of another as an anchor point as you complete a task that you might otherwise find challenging. You can use this in-person or virtually, with someone you’re related to, someone you know, or even a stranger! Some real-world examples of body doubling that you may already be familiar with include quiet study groups, walking buddies, or public workspaces.

This does not necessarily mean doing the same thing as someone else! Your body double is often working on their own task while you’re doing yours. It’s often effective to see another person in the room, and their presence gives you accountability for doing your work. Depending on who you’ve chosen as the body double, they may or may not assist with the task you’re completing. A friend helping you clean vs. just hanging out while you match socks.

The benefits of body doubling include having a visual cue of someone else working to activate your desire to work. A lot of us feel more anchored by the presence of another. You may find that having someone to ‘answer’ to is motivating to ensure your work is complete. If you get stressed or frustrated, having a body double to briefly bounce ideas off of can give you some emotional regulation, also!

The drawback of body doubling can be distraction, either interpersonal or environmental. Interpersonal distraction happens when you get off track interacting with your body double. Environmental distraction happens when the location that you’ve chosen distracts. For example, working in a coffee shop, the whirr of the coffee grinder, the unexpected Meet-Up, and the screaming toddler may hinder your focus.

When you look for a body-double, find someone who is non-judgmental and supportive. Look into virtual options, including virtual workgroups, Google Meets, or even TikTok! If you find that an in-person body double is too distracting, or not available near you, try a virtual option. Depending on how you and your brain work, this strategy may take some trial and error before you find something that works. And that’s normal!

Resources:

Centered App: Centered is a productivity app that uses digital coaches to help you. The app allows you to aggregate all of your tasks into one place easily, and then design work sessions to get them done. There are two types of plans available, free and paid. The free plan includes and AI-powered productivity coach, science-backed flow music, streamlined task management, session reminders with calendar integration and personalized stats and analytics.

I’ve partnered with Centered and you can have me as a coach! Find out more information here.

Sensate: This past week has been stressful, and one tool I’ve found that works for me is Sensate! This is a small device that you use on your chest that provides infrasonic resonance to calm your body’s nervous system. Sensate uses the device connected with an app on your phone that you can use in 10-30 periods.

Know anyone who needs a bit more hands-on support or community (well, virtually at least) with getting or staying organized or getting traction on current projects? I have a couple of spots open and am offering a 25% discount for the first two months.

Already working with me? If someone new books with me and someone mentions our work, I’ll extend the same to you.