Body Doubling

Body doubling is the practice of doing tasks in the presence of another person — not necessarily doing the same activity, but simply having someone else there. For people with ADHD, another person's presence often significantly boosts the ability to start and sustain focus on difficult tasks.

The mechanism isn't fully understood, but it seems to involve social activation of the accountability system and the brain's regulation of arousal. The presence of another human creates a kind of 'gentle pressure' that engages executive-control areas.

Body doubling can happen in person (working at a café, a library, alongside a friend) or virtually (a silent co-working video call with cameras on — a practice that became popular during the pandemic and has stuck around in ADHD circles).