55. How to Use Body Doubling to Boost Focus (with or without ADHD)

Episode 55

Ever heard of body doubling? If not, you’re SO in the right place. 

In this episode of Learn and Work Smarter, I talk about the power of body doubling to improve focus and productivity.

Body doubling is fairly well-known in the ADHD community, but the cool thing about this strategy is that it can be effective for people without ADHD too.

We cover:

→ What body doubling is

→ Why body doubling works (the psychology)

→ How to choose the ideal body double

→ When to use body doubling

→ How to run effective body doubling sessions

→ What to do when you can’t find a body double

🎙️Other Episodes + Resources Mentioned

• Episode 14→ Motivation vs. Discipline: Which One Matters More?

• Body Doubling Study

✏️Enroll in SchoolHabits University (Curious? Check it out!)

• Get the transcription

  The following transcript was autogenerated and may contain some interesting and silly errors. But in the name of efficiency and productivity, I am choosing not to spend my time fixing them 😉

  
  55 How to Use Body Doubling to Boost Focus (with or without ADHD)

  ===

  [00:00:00] Welcome to the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. This is episode 55, but more than that, it is our first episode of 2025. I suppose that we could just call this season two of the show because one year ago I launched this podcast January 4th, 2024. It was an idea that had been incubating for a long time. 

  Most of you know that my primary focus is student content, specifically the skills required to succeed academically. But if we're being honest, so many of those skills are the same ones that are required to succeed professionally. And I felt like I wanted an outlet to share that side of things so here we are. 

  You know, I thought about making today's episode a recap episode, sort of review from the previous year. There are certainly a lot of episodes that we could have reviewed but I didn't do that because it's just as easy to direct you to learnandworksmarter.com, where you can find every episode that I've ever recorded of the show. Of course, [00:01:00] there's also the show on YouTube. Many of you were listening through a podcast app. 

  So there are so many ways that you can review the show from the past year and listen to what appeals to you. 

  But today we are going to jump right in to an episode that as you can tell by the title is a strategy to improve focus and concentration. 

  You may or may not have heard of it before. It can be especially helpful for people with ADHD. But as I am always saying, strategies that work for ADHD often work for those without ADHD. 

  It's not always, you know, the other way around. But whether or not you have ADHD or not, I think that you will find some great value out of today's show. 

  
  We are going to talk about the strategy of body doubling. We're going to cover what it is, why it is so psychologically powerful and how to use it to initiate tasks and maintain our focus and attention on what we are supposed to be doing. 

  We're also going to cover how to [00:02:00] find the ideal body double and what to do when you can't find one. If you have not tried it yet, this is your sign to add it. To your toolbox of productivity tools. Let's get into it. 

  So what is body doubling? Bodily body doubling is when we work physically alongside somebody else who is also working on something. We are not necessarily working on the same thing, but we're both or all doing something similar in nature. So I might be working on an essay and I'm sitting next to somebody who is studying for an exam. [00:03:00] I might be creating, um, a marketing campaign while my colleague is typing up the notes from our most recent meeting. 

  In both examples, the people are essentially doing work on a computer. This is what I meant by doing something similar in nature. All right. 

  So to recap, body doubling is when you work physically next to or near at least one other person who is also independently working on their task. 

  We're not engaging. 

  
  We are not talking. We are not socializing. 

  They're doing their thing. And we are doing our thing. 

  
  If this concept sounds strange, don't knock it till you try it. 

  So, this is the interesting thing. The jury is still out as to why exactly body doubling works so well. There are various theories that I'm going to talk about today. 

  And then of course, I'm going to share some, you know, use case scenarios for when to do body [00:04:00] doubling how to do it. If you don't. I have someone to do it with, what makes it so effective. Yada, yada, yada. Okay. Um, but first we're going to start with addressing some of the theories behind body doubling. 

  
  This is important. But just know at this point in time, there is no definite consensus in the scientific community as to the exact reason why body doubling works, but I can tell you from my experience, as a study skills and executive function and ADHD coach that many of my clients have had success using body doubling. Even in instances when they didn't even know that that's what they were doing. 

  They'll come to me and be like, oh, I had this like really productive work session or study session and I'd be like, okay, well, what, what was different? And they're like, oh, well, and then they describe it. They're like, well, I did it with my friend. I did this with her. I'm like that's body doubling. 

  So they didn't even know. 

  One common explanation as to why body doubling is so effective is related to this theory of mirror neurons. Any studies that I mention I'll [00:05:00] have linked to at learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/55. Okay. But back in the 1980s, it was observed that macaque monkeys had a part of their brain engage when they saw another person, in this case, it was the researcher doing the experiment, perform a motor movement. 

  
  So in other words, somebody performed an activity. 

  In the case of the experiment, it was the researcher reaching for a peanut. And that premotor cortex area of the monkey's brain became activated as though the monkey itself we're doing the action. 

  From the study, many more studies were performed and it became the consensus that monkey brains have what we call mirror neurons. 

  Think of a mirror, right? The neural activity in the monkey is reflecting the external action that it's observing. 

  Now, although monkeys and humans are genetically so similar, we are not the exact same. [00:06:00] And it's still unknown as to whether or not humans have mirror neurons in their brains. Many studies were completed, but some of them suggest that we do. 

  
  Some of them suggest that we don't, some of them just remain like unclear. However observations from that original 1980 study were so compelling that eventually the idea of body doubling was partially born from that research. 

  So let's say that you're a student who's typically very distracted. Maybe you have ADHD. You have a test to study for, but you're having a hard time getting started. When you're in your dorm room by yourself, you literally do anything else except study. Right. 

  But then you go to the campus library and you sit at a table where there are three other college students with their heads in their books or their laptops. And then suddenly you feel kind of like a wee bit of motivation to start studying. So you do that. But every once in a while, you got a little flicker of [00:07:00] distraction, but you look up and everyone else is still working. 

  
  So you're like, all right, like what the heck? I'm just going to keep working too. According to the mirror neuron theory, what's happening is that your brain is firing neurons related to action that you're watching. 

  
  So in your case, you're watching other people studying. Right. Other people doing it. And then your brain is illuminated- those motor centers of your brain. And it kind of is the trigger that you need to actually engage in that movement yourself. The other students sitting at your table are the body doubles. And they're focused activity is anchoring you to your activity. 

  So cool. 

  Now that's not the only theory as to why body doubling works. Another theory suggests that there is an element of social responsibility at play. Um, especially if you're the one asking somebody else to be your body double. So for example, if you intentionally ask a colleague or a [00:08:00] fellow student to work alongside you, 

  some part of us doesn't want to waste that person's time. We value them and we value their time and an empathetic part of our brain doesn't want to let them down by not doing our part of the body doubling you know, scenario.

  That is also a pretty compelling argument as to why body doubling works too. But again, the scientific community is not an absolute agreement as to why bodily body doubling works. 

  But the main point is that we know it does. 

  So let's talk about when body doubling might come in handy. There's a few examples of when body doubling- really hard to say- might be the answer you're looking for. So for students, I'll start there, if you're studying for finals, maybe writing essays, working on long-term projects that feel overwhelming, sitting with a classmate or heading to the library can help get you started and stay [00:09:00] focused. You can sit with one person or there can be many in the case of like a library setting. 

  For professionals tasks like drafting reports, catching up on emails, or even reading students to reading that's I should have listed that as an example, can feel more manageable when you're working alongside a colleague, whether virtually or in person, I'll talk about the virtual piece in a minute. Even, you know, for personal tasks- body doubling does not have to be limited to academic or professional work. 

  
  It's also great for things like cleaning your dorm room or your house, organizing your finances, even. You know, decluttering our closet. Have you ever noticed how much more motivated you are to tackle chores when someone else is doing it with you? That's the magic of body doubling and you didn't even know it. 

  Next, I want to talk about what we should look for in a body double. These are, hear me right now

  if you zoned out, I want you to hear this loud and clear. So come back to me. [00:10:00] These are not the same characteristics that we are going to look for in our best friend or in the person who would be the most fun at a party. All right. No way in our lives we are surrounded by friends and family and people who all bring something different to the table. This is what makes life amazing. If I am going to train for marathon, I know that I'm going to ask my friend, Megan or Erin to train with me. 

  If I need someone to go with me to the doctor's or someplace nerve wracking, who I know will remain level headed, no matter what I am going to bring Meegan. I have two friends named Jess. I love that for me. And either one of them would make the best date to a party. Conversely, if my friends needed a ride to somewhere I am definitely not the person that they would ever call because I can not find my way out of a paper bag. Alright, when looking for a true - so true. If any of my friends are listening to this, they're like, yup. When looking for a body [00:11:00] double, it is so, so important that we consider the strengths, the weaknesses, and the other characteristics of the people who we are thinking of reaching out to. 

  Consider someone who's not easily distracted, who can focus for intense periods of time, who has healthy, emotional regulation, someone who can lock it in and bring out our lock-it-in-ness too. 

  Next, let's talk about how to run an actual body doubling work session. You typically need to do a little bit of planning, but not much. You really only need three things, your body double, a location and your work. 

  Starting with your body double. 

  This could be a friend, a classmate, a colleague, or anyone, you know who is willing to work alongside you. This is someone who can focus and won't distract you. Use the characteristics that we just talked about. Uh, number two, we need a location. Choose a spot that suits both of you. [00:12:00] It could be a library, a coffee shop, a coworking space, a quiet corner at home, a study roam in the library an empty meeting room in the office. If you're working virtually, zoom can work just as well or there's YouTube, which I can talk about, I'm going to talk about in a little bit. 

  And then there's your actual work? Be specific about what you'll be focusing on during the session. You want to gather everything you need: your laptop, your notebooks, your chargers, your snacks, so that you don't waste time getting up and down. I also have a few pro tips to make the session more productive. First set clear expectations. Decide on the tasks that you're going to both work on and agree to any groundwork, ground rules. Okay. Like no chatting till break time or whatever. 

  Number two. Plan your timing. Set a time limit for the session, maybe uh, 30 minutes to [00:13:00] 90 minutes. Include breaks if you're going for an extended period of time, use a timer like in the Pomodoro technique. That can help keep you both focused. We talk about the Pomodoro technique in episode. 14. 

  Um, the third tip, minimize distractions. 

  
  Keep your phones out of reach. Turn off your notifications. Stick to the task that you planned. Doing a body doubling session with your phone in your line of vision is like stepping on the gas and the brake at the same time- it's a totally pointless. Body doubling doesn't have to be rigid. You can find a flow that works for you and for your body double. The goal is to create an environment that supports focus and productivity. 

  Believe it or not, it can actually be fun. In fact, most of my clients and students who regularly use body doubling say that they really like it, even though they're not. Talking to the other person. Don't again, don't knock it till you try it. 

  [00:14:00] I also know that it's not always possible to find a ready and willing body double the moment that we recognize that we need one, which is why I emphasize planning, especially if you have a significant thing to be working on. But there is another option too. The YouTube community has embraced the body doubling phenomenon. 

  
  And at any given moment, you can join a body doubling session or recorded sessions. Many of these are designed with Pomodoro style, like work break sprints built in. Just search for body double in YouTube. And you can choose a video with a vibe that is most appealing to you. Some of them have sort of lo-fi music in the background. 

  
  Some are being run by somebody in particular. So there might be a college student, there might be an adult, um, running the body doubling sessions, saying, okay, we have, you know, we're going to work for 20 minutes, everybody let's go. And then [00:15:00] they have the timer in the corner. Some of them are just everybody collectively joining. There's no leader, but everybody is joining and agreeing to the ground rules of we're going to join this thing, sometimes cameras or not, and work. And not be distracting. Like they're quiet. You can look up at the screen and everybody's head. You see everybody's head, just the top of their head. Some are, like I said, just totally silent. 

  
  There are so many different choices, different vibes, try them all and see which one that you like. 

  All right. So body doubling is a fascinating and effective strategy for increasing focus and productivity. Hope you're getting that. It is particularly beneficial for people with ADHD, but as with many ADHD friendly strategies, it is useful for everybody, or it can be. Whether it's the activation of mirror neurons, maybe a sense of social responsibility, just the energy of being around others who are also [00:16:00] working is what makes body doubling work and it's worth experimenting to see how it fits into your workflow, what it can do for your concentration. Um, maybe you do a little experimenting and you find like the ultimate body double in somebody that you didn't expect, and then you both get something positive from it. 

  All right. So today we've covered what body doubling is and why it works, how to choose the right body double- someone whose traits compliment your needs, how to plan a successful body doubling session with just three elements, your body double, a location and your work, options like YouTube's body doubling communities when a realtime partner is not available. 

  If you haven't tried body doubling yet, give it a shot. Whether it's for writing an essay, for studying, for organizing your to-do list, the simple act of working near someone else might just be the boosts that, you know, you need to be able to lock it in. Thanks for joining me today on the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. 

  Remember, body doubling might seem like a small [00:17:00] quirky idea, but it has big potential to help you accomplish your things. Remember, productivity is not about doing everything on your own with willpower alone. It's about finding the tools and the strategies and the environments that work for you. 

  If you found today's episode helpful, please consider sharing it with someone who could benefit from it. 

  Find me over on Instagram. I'm @schoolhabits. You can also go to learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/55 for links to the studies and the other resources that I mentioned today. As always thank you for being a part of this journey. Here is to a productive, focused year ahead. And as always, never stop learning.