# Body Doubling: What It Is, Why It Helps, How to Try It URL: https://startr.online/body-doubling > Body doubling means working alongside someone so it's easier to start. Why it helps with procrastination and ADHD, what research says, and five ways to try it. **Guide · 7 min read** # Body doubling Working next to someone else, in person or on a video call, so that it's easier to start a task and stay with it. By the Startr team · Published 22 October 2026 · Updated 26 October 2026 **The short answer** Body doubling means doing a task while another person is there, either in the same room or on a video call. The other person doesn't help with the task. They might be working on something of their own, or just sitting nearby. Many people, especially people with ADHD, find that having someone there makes it easier to start a task they've been avoiding and to keep going. It probably works through a mix of gentle accountability, a fixed start time you've agreed with someone, and the long-studied effect that people work faster on simple tasks when others are present. There's very little controlled research on body doubling itself, so treat it as something worth trying rather than a proven treatment. ## What body doubling looks like The idea is simple. You sit down to do something you've been putting off, and someone else is there while you do it. Common versions include: - A friend or partner reading on the sofa while you do your tax return. - Two colleagues on a quiet video call, each working on their own thing. - A booked session with a stranger on a body-doubling site such as Focusmate, where you each say what you'll work on, work in silence and report back at the end. - A "study with me" video on YouTube, where someone works on camera for an hour or more. - Working in a library or café, where other people are working around you. The term is used most in ADHD communities, where it has spread mainly through people sharing what works for them. ## Why it can help ### You've agreed a start time with someone When you book a session or arrange to work with a friend at 10:00, starting at 10:00 is no longer only up to you. Deciding in advance when and where you'll start a task makes people much more likely to follow through, according to a meta-analysis of 94 studies (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006). Body doubling adds another person to that plan, which makes it harder to quietly push back. ### Someone else being there changes how you work Psychologists have studied "social facilitation" for more than a century. A meta-analysis of 241 studies found that the presence of other people made people a little faster on simple tasks, but could make them slower and less accurate on complex ones (Bond and Titus, 1983). That suggests body doubling suits tasks you already know how to do but keep avoiding, such as admin, tidying or replies, better than hard thinking that needs total quiet. ### It makes the task less unpleasant How unpleasant a task feels is one of the strongest predictors of procrastination (Steel, 2007). Doing a dull task with company can make it feel less lonely and less heavy, and that alone can be enough to get you started. ### It makes distraction more visible Picking up your phone feels different when someone can see you do it, even if they'd never say anything. Most people stay on task longer when they're not alone. ## What the research says Body doubling itself has barely been studied. In a 2024 survey of 220 people, most of whom were neurodivergent, many said they used body doubling and described it as helpful for starting and finishing tasks. Many had found it on their own before they knew it had a name (Eagle and colleagues, 2024). That's useful evidence that people find it helpful, but a survey can't show whether it works better than working alone. Controlled trials comparing the two are still lacking, and the small early studies point in different directions. The ideas behind it are on firmer ground: setting a specific start time, and the effect of other people being present, both have decades of research behind them. ## Body doubling and ADHD People with ADHD often describe starting tasks as the hardest part, and many say body doubling is one of the few things that reliably helps. If that matches your experience, it's worth building into your week. It isn't a substitute for treatment. If attention problems affect your work, study or relationships most days, talk to a doctor. ## Five ways to try it ### 1\. Ask a friend for one session Pick a task and a time, and ask someone to sit with you, in person or on a call, for 30 to 50 minutes. Say at the start what you'll do, and say at the end what you did. ### 2\. Book a session with a stranger Sites like Focusmate match you with someone for a 25, 50 or 75-minute video session. You each say your goal, work with your cameras on, and check in at the end. Focusmate's free plan includes three sessions a week. ### 3\. Use a "study with me" video Long recordings of people working or studying in real time are free on YouTube. They don't give you accountability, but they do give you company and a sense that someone else is working too. ### 4\. Work somewhere others are working A library, a café or a co-working space gives you the presence of others without arranging anything. ### 5\. Combine it with a first step and a timer Body doubling helps you start, but you still need to know what to do first. Before the session, write a first step that takes two minutes, with the free [first-step tool](https://startr.online/first-step) if you're stuck. Then run a [Pomodoro timer](https://startr.online/pomodoro-timer) so the session has a clear rhythm of work and breaks. ## When body doubling isn't enough Body doubling depends on someone else being available, and the hardest tasks often turn up when no one is. It also helps less if the problem isn't starting but knowing what to do. In that case, make the first step smaller. If you freeze completely in front of a task, read the guide to [task paralysis](https://startr.online/task-paralysis). ## Questions people ask ### What is body doubling? Doing a task while another person is present, in person or on a video call. They don't help with the task. Their presence makes it easier to start and keep going. ### Does body doubling work? Many people, especially people with ADHD, say it helps them start and finish tasks. There's little controlled research on body doubling itself, but the methods it relies on, a set start time and the presence of others, are well studied. ### Is body doubling only for ADHD? No. Anyone who finds it easier to work with company can use it. It's discussed most in ADHD communities because starting tasks is a common difficulty with ADHD. ### Can I body double without another person? A "study with me" video or a busy library gives you some of the effect. For the accountability part, a set start time with a countdown, which is what Startr does, helps when no one else is around. ## Related guides - [Apps for procrastination](https://startr.online/procrastination-apps): body doubling, blockers, timers and starting apps compared. - [Task paralysis](https://startr.online/task-paralysis): why you sometimes can't start at all. - [How to stop procrastinating](https://startr.online/how-to-stop-procrastinating): eight methods backed by research. **Try it on your own thing** Body doubling helps when someone else is there. Startr helps when you're on your own. You type the thing you keep putting off, it writes a first step that takes two minutes, you pick a time and a place, and at that time it counts you down and starts a 5-minute timer. There's no sign-up, and the web app works on any phone or computer. [Get my first step](https://app.startr.si) ## Sources 1. Bond, C. F. & Titus, L. J. (1983). Social facilitation: A meta-analysis of 241 studies. Psychological Bulletin, 94(2), 265–292. [doi:10.1037/0033-2909.94.2.265](https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.94.2.265) 2. Eagle, T., Baltaxe-Admony, L. B. & Ringland, K. E. (2024). "It was something I naturally found worked and heard about later": An investigation of body doubling with neurodivergent participants. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing. [doi:10.1145/3689648](https://doi.org/10.1145/3689648) 3. Gollwitzer, P. M. & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. [doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1](https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601\(06\)38002-1) 4. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. [doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65](https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65)