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\n Editor\u2019s Note: <\/b>Sign up for <\/em>CNN\u2019s Adulthood, But Better<\/em><\/a> newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has tips to help you make more informed decisions around personal finance, career, wellness and personal connections.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n \n \n Once a week, ADHD coach Robin Nordmeyer joins a Zoom meeting with other coaches while she writes blogs, does administrative tasks or works on content for presentations she has been putting off.\n <\/p>\n \n Nordmeyer, who has ADHD, isn\u2019t necessarily using the meeting to collaborate with others \u2014 she just needs their presence as a motivator to help her get things done<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI run a business, and I have to balance lots of different areas of the business,\u201d said Nordmeyer, cofounder and managing director of the Center for Living Well with ADHD-Minnesota, an ADHD coaching group near Minneapolis serving all ages.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cSome of those things come very easy \u2014 like, they\u2019re in my wheelhouse, they energize me, I can\u2019t wait to get to them,\u201d Nordmeyer said. \u201cAnd some of those things are a little more tedious, or I have some resistance around them.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n What Nordmeyer does to get through those tougher tasks is sometimes known as \u201cbody doubling,\u201d a productivity and self-help strategy that involves working with another person<\/a> around to help improve motivation and focus. It has been popular for some time among people with ADHD \u2014 attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder \u2014 especially during the pandemic.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe idea is that the presence of another is essentially a gentle reminder to stay on task,\u201d said Billy Roberts, clinical director of Focused Mind ADHD Counseling in Columbus, Ohio. \u201cFor folks (with) ADHD whose minds tend to wander and get off task, the body double somehow works as an external motivator to stay on task.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Body doubling isn\u2019t just for people with ADHD, but like many \u201ccoping strategies, something that can be helpful for anybody is more central and important for folks with ADHD,\u201d said Dr. J. Russell Ramsay, founding codirector of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s ADHD Treatment and Research Program.\n <\/p>\n \n A neurodevelopmental disorder commonly diagnosed in childhood but lasting into adulthood, ADHD stems from underdeveloped or impaired executive function and self-regulation skills, according to Harvard University\u2019s Center on the Developing Child<\/a>. Those skills help us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions and multitask. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity \u2014 so people with this disorder might have trouble concentrating, staying organized, managing their time or controlling their impulses, which can affect both their work and personal lives, Roberts said.\n <\/p>\n \n If people with ADHD have no intrinsic interest in a task, Roberts said, they typically struggle with a lack of internal motivation to complete it or even to get started. Body doubling provides that motivation, experts said.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt also draws on our social selves,\u201d Ramsay said. \u201cA lot of people with ADHD will say, \u2018I have a hard time getting started on this if I\u2019m doing it for myself, but if I know somebody else is relying on me, if somebody else is waiting outside for me to show up to go for our walk, I\u2019m more likely to go and be there because I don\u2019t want to let them down.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n There doesn\u2019t appear to be extensive research on body doubling for productivity, according to Roberts and other experts. \u201cBut I do know that the idea of externalizing motivation is a long-standing, evidence-based mechanism for managing ADHD,\u201d Roberts said.\n <\/p>\n \n In theory, the method is pretty straightforward, but there a few factors to keep in mind to make the most of it.\n <\/p>\n \n Body doubling can help with pretty much any task you\u2019re having a hard time getting done \u2014 whether that\u2019s work, chores, exercise, schoolwork or paperwork. The other person doesn\u2019t have to be doing the same thing as you, unless the activity you need body doubling for \u2014 such as exercising \u2014 requires that assistance.\n <\/p>\n \n Be choosy about whom you ask to be your body double. The person should be as committed to you completing your work as you are, Roberts said \u2014 not distracting you with conversation or anything else. Choose someone who usually makes you feel comfortable and safe, and who can encourage you when necessary.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s important to keep a body double session focused on its purpose,\u201d Nordmeyer said. If conversations do come up, table them for later, perhaps during a break or dinner.\n <\/p>\n \n Asking someone to be your body double might feel awkward, but Roberts said the best approach is often a straightforward one. You could say, \u201cIt\u2019s something I heard can help with productivity. Would you mind just being around me while I work on this? Maybe you have something you could work on, too.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n You could also barter with them, in a sense, by making an offer such as, \u201cYou help me organize my garage on Saturday; I\u2019ll help you organize your home office on Sunday,\u201d Ramsay said.\n <\/p>\n \n Those small first steps of seeking a partner and setting up the session get you started and keep you going, he added.\n <\/p>\n \n Scheduling regular body doubling sessions is one option, Nordmeyer said, or just ask whenever the need arises. How transparent you are about why you need a body double is up to you, as is whether you have more than one body double.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt depends on the individual,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cIf it turns into a distraction more than mindfulness, accountability or behavioral support, then you just want to rework things. You can kind of tinker with things until you find what works.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n If you don\u2019t have a friend or colleague to be your body double, you aren\u2019t out of luck.\n <\/p>\n \n Some TikTok users, such as Allie K. Campbell<\/a>, regularly go live while they\u2019re working so others can use them as a virtual body double. There are also body doubling or coworking platforms or apps such as Flown<\/a>, Focusmate<\/a> or Flow Club<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n In virtual sessions, \u201cmost body doubles ask you to share your camera, and a lot of people are real nervous about being visible,\u201d Nordmeyer said. \u201cThe purpose of that is to make sure you\u2019re still in your chair working. \u2026 But there might be other ways you can create that accountability through a chat feature.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The benefits of body doubling are likely why some people like working on things in coffee shops, libraries or coworking spaces \u2014 which can be sources of passive body doubling if you don\u2019t have someone to ask, Roberts said.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cSome people work better with community support and just the awareness of other people around them,\u201d he added. \u201cYou saw that a lot with the pandemic, like people learning more about the kinds of structure they needed.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe all think and work differently, and there\u2019s nothing wrong with that,\u201d Roberts said.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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