From chatting to others who body double, (and looking at my own experiences) I’ve found some similarities in work preferences!

5 Points I’ve Noticed From Many (But Not All) ADHD People Who Benefit From Body Doubling

1. They work better in cafes or busy environments than home alone in a quiet home office.

   Many people I’ve spoken to who use body doubling have told me they find themselves using headphones to block out the sound, but enjoy being in the company of other people getting things done!

2. They often put on a TV show as they clean/do tasks, but they aren’t 100% focused on it as it’s mostly there for “company”.

3. Through the pandemic they struggled to adjust from working in an office to suddenly working from home.

   I’ve spoken to a lot of people who identify as being an introvert, who love the idea of working from home, but were surprised by how much harder they found working from home to working in an office environment with company.

4. They find themselves drawn to cleaning and tidying up or doing tasks when a friend is over and if the friend offers to help, they’ll make a point of saying, “Honesty, just keeping me company is a huge help!”… and they mean it!

5. As kids, they struggled to do homework at their desk alone in their bedroom. Many found it easier to do homework at the kitchen table as a parent cooked,

   or they found it easier to clean their room when a sibling or friend was sitting on the end of their bed keeping them company!

This isn’t a complete list of examples or an official checklist - just a collection of experiences from myself and others with ADHD who use body doubling!

Distractibility is a huge problem in most work environments for many with ADHD - but those who body double tend to find that having company helps them more than being alone does!

It doesn’t!

My body doubling membership is online, and people body double virtually using Zoom and have found it beneficial!

This can be helpful for those who are more socially anxious, or those who don’t have someone they can body double with in person.

This is going to be down to the individual and what tasks they struggle with! But I would say it’s helpful for;

• tasks you’ve been putting off

• tasks that have multiple steps

• tasks that require sustained focus

• tasks that cause upset, anxiety and/or shame

• tasks you struggle to motivate for

• tasks you struggle to sit still for

Here are 10 of the most common tasks I see popping up on the body doubling sessions I run!

1. laundry (folding and ironing clothes)

2. dishes

3. cleaning

4. emails and paying bills online

5. studying

6. music practice

7. reading

8. journaling

9. making scary phone calls

10. tidying or decluttering the house