For many people with ADHD, getting started can be the hardest part. Even when motivation is high, tasks can remain untouched, delayed by overwhelm, distraction, or inertia. One increasingly popular technique to break this cycle is body doubling: working alongside another person—virtually or in person—to stay focused, get started, and keep going.
What Is Body Doubling?
Body doubling means pairing up with someone else, often called an accountability buddy, to work in parallel. The other person doesn’t need to participate in your task—they might simply sit nearby reading, studying, or doing their own work. The power lies in shared presence: knowing someone else is there, expecting you to follow through, and quietly modelling focus.
This technique can happen in many forms:
- In-person co-working with a friend or colleague
- Online sessions over Zoom or platforms like Focusmate
- ADHD community “study halls” or peer accountability groups
Why It Works
ADHD is associated with challenges in executive functioning—skills like planning, prioritising, and sustaining effort (Barkley, 2015). These difficulties aren’t about laziness; they reflect neurological differences in attention regulation and reward processing.
Body doubling taps into social motivation and external structure. The presence of another person provides:
- Accountability: You’ve made a social commitment to show up and stay on task.
- External scaffolding: The other person serves as a cue for focus and time awareness.
- Co-regulation: Being around a calm, focused person helps steady emotional and attentional states.
In a sense, it replicates the environmental structure many people with ADHD thrive on—without the judgment or pressure of formal supervision.
How to Try Body Doubling
- Find a partner – Ideally, someone who also benefits from accountability. Friends, colleagues, or online ADHD groups are good places to start.
- Set clear intentions – Before starting, each person names one or two specific goals for the session.
- Agree boundaries – For example, “no chatting until break time.”
- Work quietly – Often with microphones muted if online.
- Check in at the end – Share how it went and celebrate what you achieved.
Sessions can be as short as 25 minutes or as long as several hours, depending on energy and focus levels.
When It’s Most Helpful
Body doubling can be particularly useful when:
- Starting tasks you’ve been avoiding
- Managing admin or household chores
- Studying or writing
- Working alone from home
It is less effective if the partner becomes a distraction or if conversation replaces action. It’s a tool for companionship in focus, not socialising—though many find friendships form naturally around it.
The Broader Significance
Beyond productivity, body doubling highlights something deeper about ADHD and human behaviour: focus thrives in connection. For neurodivergent individuals, shared presence helps bridge the gap between intention and action. Rather than viewing ADHD as a deficit, body doubling reframes it through the lens of relational regulation and community support.
Quick warning: many of these resources are ‘paid for’ – another hurdle for people with ADHD is subscriptions, especially to services that are no longer used. ### Resources
- How to ADHD Community – Deep Work Sessions (Currently being re-modelled – Nov 2025) Community-run focus rooms inspired by Jessica McCabe’s “How to ADHD” project.
- Flow Club
Structured online co-working with scheduled sessions, small groups, and built-in accountability. - Focusmate
One of the most popular online body-doubling platforms, matching you with a partner for timed work sessions. - ADDitude Magazine: “How Body Doubling Works for ADHD Brains”
An accessible overview of how body doubling supports attention and task initiation. - CHADD – ADHD Coaching and Strategies
A major ADHD organisation offering coaching resources, strategies, and peer-support materials. (US based) - Todoist, Pomodoro
Productivity tools that integrate Pomodoro timers and scheduling—helpful companions for body-doubling sessions. - Caveday – Live Focus Sessions
Facilitated deep-work sessions designed to strengthen focus and task completion.
References
Barkley, R. A. (2015) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment (4th ed.). New York: Guilford Press. ISBN 9781462517725.
Hallowell, E. M. & Ratey, J. J. (2021) ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction. Ballantine Books. ISBN 9781399813297.
Tuckman, A. (2009). More Attention, Less Deficit: Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD. Specialty Press, Inc. Nigg, J. T., & Casey, B. J. (2005). An integrative theory of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder based on the cognitive and affective neurosciences. Development and Psychopathology, 17(03). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579405050376