While working through the workbook (CBT Workbook for Adult ADHD) I came across a section that really caught my eye- ADHD & Body Doubling. It was discussing that many of us benefit from just having some else in the room while we’re working- as a mode of helping us stay focused.
So, I started to think about my own life, and quickly realized that some of my best work was done in a university library and at Starbucks, where there’s ton of people around. I have a hard time getting started, but once I can concentrate, the world around me melts away and I become engrossed in my work. I like working in these type settings, and if there’s a lot of noise, I put in my ear pods on to block it out- no music or nothing, just used as a block.
Am I the only one who can prosper in this type of environment; or, are there others of us? Please let me know…
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I feel this so strongly! I always say I need to feed off the "vibes" of a room in order to get things done, so I go to coffee shops, libraries, etc. Anywhere that I can feel people concentrating or stressed actually helps me get swept up in the wave and helps me be productive.
i have been recently diagnosed with ADHD . I was really getting stuck at work , having extremely hard time to start projects and , once started , concentrate . I was recommended to do body doubling by executive function coach and i could not belive it how effective it is . There are multiple apps that allow to do this ( i use focusmate - ots pretty cheap , but there are many others. ) you signup for a certian time and session length , turn your camera on the phone/laptop and a random person signed up to the app is connected. You start by stating your goals for a seasion jn a min or so, the. work with cameras on/ microphones off and at the end share your progress in 2-3 min . Thats it but it has been a life saver for me . I literally now do all tasks ( billing , planning , work , etc ) with the app . i have done gazilion seasions now and can tell you that a huge number of people work /study/ doing random chores this way. I highly recommend checkjng these apps and trying them on to see which one you might like .
Oh yes. I absolutely agree. I use FocusMate to help me get t hings done. Matching with others around the world while we do whatever it is that is hard to do alone. They work on their thing and I work on mine in 25 or 50 minute blocks and I can see them in a little window. Muted of course but it saying what I will be working on, then both of us getting down to business has increased my ability to focus and produce 100%.
I have been experiencing this in another way though, that hasn’t been helpful . I seem to work out how I should be behaving / feeling , based on those around me .
Now being married , I see my eldest struggling since uni , my youngest struggling with his autism and my wife depressed .
I seem to then adopt this sense of being and become low and depressed myself . It’s really driving me mad , as this is my own family . It’s like I double the person /s around me .
I am out of work for 3 years now since caring and losing my parents , turned 50 yesterday , and feel at a loss with this . Around happy people , I become happy and carefree . Around serious and low people , I seem to become that .
We do a LOT of body-doubling in my virtual assistant agency. Our niche is working specifically with ADHD individuals and business owners, and it's truly an effective strategy for many of us!
This has been one of the biggest unlocks for me. I made a website called Flow Club and we have a global community of ADHDers body doubling with each other all the time. Focusmate is great too. I'm obviously partial to Flow Club but you should try both. I am in the camp of bringing body doubling for everyone with ADHD, regardless of how it happens.
Some tips before you go:
- Interact with your body double in the beginning to share your intentions with each other. This makes the body doubling way more effective than the library or coffee shop because of the accountability from a shared commitment.
- Make sure to check in at the end and congratulate each other for even just showing up and trying. Keep it encouraging and positive. This is the dopamine reward you can look forward to that will help you stay motivated as you go.
- Bring anything you experience resistance to doing and do it in a body doubling session. You can even work out, cook, clean your room, whatever you need. Don't think that you have to bring something "serious." What is serious is you making a commitment to show up around other people and trying to do your best.
Let me know if you have any questions about body doubling! In fact I'd LOVE to know how I can evangelize this technique more.
I use it since some days. I found it as well by an accident and oh boy! This is a true lifechanger! It is so flexible and easy to use. Absolutely love it <3
Yes, this happens for me, too. I find working when people are around helps greatly. It is almost as good as getting outside to work. There is something about being part of nature that calms my mind.
I tend to calm my mind before starting tasks, doing certain mindless things like puzzles or video games. Also, when I get stuck working, I change places, as simple as changing rooms in which I work. Organizing my desk, printing a story I am working on, or simply fixing typos help, as well.
The paradox is that teachers are told to let ADHD students work in a quiet room to take tests, for example. Maybe this prescription does not work for all children.
this is a common occurrence for people with adhd. So much so that there is even an app from the ADHD_love couple on you tube. It’s called dubbii and it’s about body doubling. We also have a facebook group about ADHD that has a messages group that is all about hooking up with people to body double. It’s really cool, actually. I haven't used it, since I am one of those rare super productive ADHD types because of my PTSD and coping mechanisms, but I love to play ambient music or listen to judge shows (judge Judy type) just to focus.
This is such a thing. I spend half my salary on expensive coffee (well, the coffee also has to be good) because thats the only way my stuff gets done! I have tried to work alone so many times, and it has never worked out.
Complete opposite! I'm distracted by others and do my best work when left alone. I had one HR job where I had a private office due to speaking with employees about sensitive issues, and I had the best productivity of my life during those years.
Most of my later career was in a cubicle hell, where you could hear your coworkers in meetings, on the phone, or socializing. I was allowed to wear headphones and played calming classical music while I worked. I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until age 54, after I had been fired from an 11-year job because I couldn't keep up with constantly changing procedures and metrics. When I was salaried, I would just stay late and/or go in for a few hours on the weekend and crank out tons of work in my quiet cubby. When my job was reclassified as hourly, I couldn't do that any more and I imploded. Had I been diagnosed, they would have accommodated me, but I had no idea what "was wrong with me" and lived in constant fear of being chastised or fired. For the women reading this, I also went through peri and menopause during those last years, and the ADHD just took off to the point I thought I was losing my mind.
I'm an only child, so I was alone a lot during my childhood, and was completely content with my books and other solitary activities. The one thing I noticed is that I would hyperfocus for an hour or two, then socialize for a few minutes, then hyperfocus some more. One or the other, never both.
You are definitely not alone! For me, I might like to connect to my friends through Discord (even though we are not actually talking, they are playing video games and the channel is very noisy) in order to somehow make myself "focus". However, while in a quiet environment, I feel it somehow hard to focus than when I am in a Discord channel: I tend to focus on subtle movements in my surroundings and at his point, doing houseworks are way more interesting than working.
So I am actually working on ADHD and hope to build up a platform that could help people excel at their jobs or daily life controls.
I'm really interested in this too. I think building reciprocal connections around body doubling could be really helpful and energizing, and I find the accountability that comes with a starbucks environment helpful too.
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