There’s an ADD-friendly approach to staying on track that is called ‘body doubling’. Over my time working with many different people I’ve found that this approach is helpful for people who don’t have ADD as much as those who do. Basically ‘body doubling’ is when someone is present with someone else while they get a certain task done. There’s something about the added structure of another person’s presence that ensures that people stay on track and don’t get distracted. Or if they do, there’s someone there to get them back on track because it’s a reminder that it’s time to focus on something in particular.
Body doubling comes into my work in a few ways. When I’m working with clients on organising their to-do lists and we come across items that won’t take longer than 2 minutes to do so I encourage my client to do them THEN and THERE. When my clients are stuck and don’t know how to make headway on a particular project. And when they need a sounding board to get their thoughts organised. It’s in these moments that I act as a kind of anchor, anchoring my client to their activity and helping them achieve their goals.
There’s an online service called Focusmate that offers this service and matches participants up around the world to help them with their productivity. It’s genius!
You get to decide when you want to work, select some times that work, and then you’re matched up with someone else who will work at the same time as you via video. When it’s time to get working, you launch your video session, greet your partner and declare your goal. Then you work quietly in tandem with your Focusmate for 5o minutes and experience the power of human accountability.
Are you curious? If so, think about an important project that you’ve been putting off and the next action item that you could do in 50 minutes and try body doubling out. It might just be the productivity tool that you’re needing.
If this post has piqued your interest, I’d love to know. And if you’re unsure what your next action item is feel free to book in for a complimentary 30-minute call and I can help you break down that project.
