Body doubling in the workplace
Summary
Discover how body doubling in the workplace fosters focus, connection, and well-being for neurodivergent employees.
Body doubling in the workplace: A neuroinclusive strategy for focus and connection
Introduction
If you’ve ever found it easier to focus simply because someone else was in the room, you’ve experienced body doubling in action.
This practice—working in parallel with another person—has become a quiet revolution in neurodivergent communities, particularly among people with ADHD, autism, and executive function differences. For many, it’s not about being watched, but about being witnessed: the subtle motivational power of another human presence.
For HR leaders and managers, body doubling in the workplace provides a fresh, low-cost approach to fostering focus, connection, and psychological safety. It’s one of the simplest tools in the journey toward a truly neuroinclusive workplace.
What is body doubling?
Body doubling is the act of completing a task while another person is present—either in person or virtually. The “double” might be a colleague, friend, or even a stranger online, who is quietly engaged in their own work at the same time.
It’s not surveillance or supervision. Instead, it works through co-regulation—our nervous systems naturally syncing with the calm, focus, or steady rhythm of another person.
Reported benefits include:
- Easier task initiation (breaking through “task inertia”)
- Reduced procrastination and distraction
- Better emotional regulation and sense of accountability
- Less isolation, especially in hybrid or remote roles
The science and evidence behind body doubling
Formal research on body doubling is still emerging, but the underlying mechanisms are scientifically credible. Here’s what the evidence shows so far:
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Academic & Experimental Findings
- Limited but promising research: A 2025 pre-print titled You Are Not Alone: Designing Body Doubling for ADHD in Virtual Reality (arXiv) found that both human and AI body-double conditions improved task completion compared with working solo.
- Comparative study (VTechWorks): In a small sample (n=40), participants completed tasks faster and with improved sustained attention in both in-person and video body-double conditions.
- Theoretical grounding: Clinicians describe body doubling as an externalised executive function that supports a social prompt that helps maintain attention, motivation, and time awareness (Cleveland Clinic; Newport Institute).
- Adjacent studies: Broader research on social facilitation and co-working effects supports the finding that mild social presence can enhance attention and persistence on tasks.
In summary:
The evidence base is small but growing. The mechanisms of accountability, externalised focus, and co-regulation are consistent with well-established cognitive and behavioural science.
- Practitioner and Community Reports
ADHD organisations and coaching networks consistently highlight body doubling as a practical focus tool:
- CHADD: It helps individuals “choose a specific project, set a time, and be accountable to another person.”
- ADDA: “The body double becomes a model of control and a mirror.”
- VeryWellMind: Reports benefits in starting, sustaining, and finishing tasks, with reduced shame and isolation.
Common themes include:
- Initiation support: Makes starting less overwhelming.
- Emotional buffering: Reduces anxiety and loneliness.
- Accountability: Encourages steady focus without external pressure.
Drawbacks are also noted:
- Too much chatter can distract.
- Some users feel observed or self-conscious.
- It can foster over-reliance if not balanced with solo work.
Why body doubling matters for neuroinclusive workplaces
Body doubling aligns with key principles of neuroinclusive design: flexibility, autonomy, and shared ownership of productivity.
In Neurodiversity and Time, we examined how individual rhythms and attention patterns vary significantly. Body doubling supports these rhythms by allowing employees to borrow structure from shared focus rather than forcing conformity to rigid routines.
For HR and organisational leaders, adopting such techniques communicates trust:
“We understand focus looks different for everyone—and that’s okay.”
Exploring potential apps and tools
The rise of hybrid and remote work has led to a wave of digital tools that enable virtual body doubling. The following examples are provided for awareness purposes only, not as formal recommendations. Always review the suitability, privacy, and accessibility of any new platform before introducing it.
| Example App | What It Offers | Format |
| FocusMate | One-to-one timed co-working sessions with accountability check-ins. | Virtual 1:1 |
| Flow Club | Structured group focus sessions led by facilitators. | Group |
| Flown | Combines live “deep work” sessions with wellbeing breaks and community. | Individual & group |
| Caveday | Guided work sprints with communal breaks and motivation prompts. | Group |
| Centered | Adds gamified focus tracking and gentle AI support for maintaining flow. | Solo with social features |
💡 Tip: If your organisation already uses Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, you can replicate the same structure by scheduling “silent co-working” slots or optional “Focus Fridays”.
To integrate these practices safely and effectively across your workforce, explore our Workplace Needs Assessment Package.
How to facilitate body doubling yourself
Body doubling doesn’t require software. It can be facilitated with nothing more than intention and clarity.
Here’s a simple, three-step recipe you can use with a colleague or friend:
- Ask: What are we each hoping to achieve before we start?
Keep goals specific, small, and time-bound. - Agree: How will we work together?
Will we talk or stay silent? Cameras on or off?
Are we checking in mid-way or only at the end? - Check-in: What did we achieve and how do we feel?
Reflecting briefly consolidates success and reinforces motivation.
These steps mirror effective coaching practice: clarity, collaboration, and closure.
For teams, managers can support this by:
- Offering optional co-working slots.
- Setting clear boundaries (voluntary, non-evaluative).
- Framing it as peer accountability, not performance monitoring.
When energy or capacity is low
During periods of overwhelm or brownout (as explored in Skidding into Brownout), even setting up a session can feel too hard. Managers and HR professionals can help by:
- Offering drop-in focus spaces without registration.
- Allowing camera-off participation.
- Encouraging asynchronous accountability (e.g., shared task boards or “done” lists).
Pairing body doubling with gentle movement, such as walking meetings or pacing while on a call, can further support focus—as described in Unleashed Thinking.
Managing boundaries and risk around Body doubling in the workplace
To maintain psychological safety, organisational guidelines should ensure:
- Voluntary participation – never a mandate.
- No data collection or monitoring – sessions remain private.
- Equal access – suitable for remote and in-office staff alike.
- Inclusive communication – clarify that focus practices differ by neurotype.
Embedding these safeguards within wellbeing or inclusion policies protects both employees and the organisation while fostering genuine trust.
For structured implementation support, see our Talks & Workshops.
The bigger picture of Body doubling in the workplace
Body doubling may seem like a productivity hack, but at its core, it’s about connection, regulation, and a sense of belonging.
When workplaces normalise it, they demonstrate an understanding that focus is relational, not purely individual. For neurodivergent employees, that message is transformative:
“You don’t have to work alone to be doing it right.”
By embedding small, evidence-informed practices like this, we move closer to a world where inclusion isn’t performative—it’s practical.
Want to explore how body doubling in the workplace and other neuroinclusive strategies can help your teams focus and thrive?
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