Procrastination is the bane of my life some weeks. While some days I’ll hammer through my task list like nothing else, other days I find myself easily distracted, unable to focus or hitting a productivity wall. And there are all sorts of reasons for it. We all experience it at some stage, I’m sure.
I’ve found all kinds of ways to improve my productivity over the years, with a firm favourite still being the Pomodoro Technique. And recently I heard about “body doubling,” which is what I want to share with you today.
What is Body Doubling?
It sounds like something from a sci fi movie, I know. But body doubling is actually far less complex than cloning.
Body doubling is simply having another person working alongside you (either in the same room or virtually on web cam for example). That’s it. They don’t have to be on the same project as you and they don’t have to actively working with you. They’re just working “near” you (virtually or in the same room).
It’s not a new concept. It’s something that has been referred to in the past as having an “accountability partner” and I was working like this as a student over 20 years at times.
However, what is new is the increase in interest online for this term.
In March 2023, according to data from kwfinder.com, there were 5,400 searches in Google in the UK alone for “body doubling.” This is a marked increase on the 1,900 searches made in the same month of 2022 – a 184% increase.
So does body doubling actually work?
My own personal experience of body doubling (or simply having an accountability partner, as I used to refer to it) has been really positive. Working in silence, not on the same thing as but in the same room as somebody helps me focus.
To understand why this works, we spoke to Caroline Wood, Head of Behavioural Insights and Research for Bupa UK.
She told us:
“Body doubling can be a helpful tool to help you stay accountable as you’re working. If you’ve been putting off a task, or are the type who’s easily distracted, coworking simultaneously with a body double may help you remain focussed within allocated time periods.
It’s thought that seeing another person working on similar tasks in a similar environment can help you to stay on target. Studies have shown that social cues and the feeling of being observed by other people can have a huge impact on our motivation levels, helping us attach more meaning to the work we’re doing. Similarly, having that person there to check in on you may help you feel calmer, supported, and make tasks feel less difficult and more achievable.
It’s worth noting that this technique doesn’t work for everyone – and there isn’t any significant current research validating its effectiveness.”
The link between body doubling and ADHD
One reason for the surge in interest around body doubling is that it is widely being touted as a method of helping those with ADHD to stay focussed on their tasks.
In adults, ADHD can cause an inability to concentrate and poor organisational skills (amongst other things), Those two things together can mean that those with ADHD often struggle with productivity.
As Caroline Wood noted, however, there is yet to be any truly extensive research to validate body doubling specifically for those with ADHD.
My view, though, is anything is usually worth experimenting with if there’s a possibility it can enhance your productivity and help you focus.
How to implement body doubling in a workplace
We asked Caroline Wood for her top tips to implement body doubling in your business if you’ve got multiple people in the company. Here they are:
- Set up some working groups in your team to float the idea of body doubling. Offer the option to sign up for a body doubling taster session (e.g., fifty minutes long).
- Allocate randomised working pairs, encouraging each to agree on some basics ahead of the session to make the most of their taster session, for example, whether the session will be in person or virtually, when to take breaks, and which activities/distractions to avoid.
- After the working sessions have ended, check in with your teams to see how they got on. Did they find it helped with their ability to focus? Were they surprised at what they were able to achieve in that time versus what they would usually do? Would they do it again?
- Tweak the setup if needed. Remember that the aim of new ways of working is to help your team find the working style they feel most comfortable with.
Another option is to introduce your team to online communities, for example, Focusmate, which can allow them to book their own virtual body doubling sessions with other members.
Remember, body doubling may not work for everyone, so don’t be disheartened if it isn’t right for your team.
My Personal Experience
I work in a very small team. Some of us are remote, some work in the office some of the time. So I have tried body doubling in different ways.
I’ve worked sitting opposite someone in the office while they worked on a similar (but not the same) task. This was effective for me.
I have also worked in co working space with someone I know who is not a colleague and found this effective.
But personally, the one attempt I made to do this virtually didn’t really work as well for me. But try it for yourself and see how you get on.
Things I found made a big difference in the effectiveness of body doubling for me personally:
- Time limited. After about 45 minutes I lose focus (which is why I like the 25 minute working stint based Pomodoro technique so much). So I limit body doubling based intensive working sessions to 45 minutes
- An agreement on silence or headphones for music with the other person. I like music while I work but I like it in headphones and a specific type of music. I made one attempt at a body doubling session where my accountability partner put their own music on and I found it distracting (but this is something I expect will vary from person to person)
- Not working on the same task! This one seems a tad counter intuitive to me. But these sessions have worked best for me when the other person is not on my task. I think it’s because the need to discuss the task is greater if you’re both on it and discussion on a task can lead to off topic discussion. I find it better if the other person is working on a similar task (i.e they’re working at a desk on a task that requires a similar level of focus) but not my one!
Test it and Adapt
As with any productivity hack, my view is that it will work for some and possibly not for others. And that’s ok! We’re humans, after all. Test it for yourself!
