Body Doubling | Hacker News Reader

Body Doubling

en.wikipedia.org

66 pointstosh16 comments

Have used this technique a lot as a leader. I am fine sitting on a call together till the work is done. Yes it is HOURS out of the day, but the alternative is an endless supply of excuses why something is not done.

For some tasks it is trivial, just providing the motivation. Other tasks that are more complex benefit from the whole "two minds are better than one" situation.

I swear some of the most productive teams I had we did tons of pair and mob programming and solo programming was not the norm.

I have weekly body doubling meetings with friends. It's a good way to socialise and get work done. We usually run a shared pomodoro timer. When the day is over we can slowly ease into other activities. It's fun and effective.

I want to combine it with brunch, another regular event of ours. It would be nice to start the day with a lavish breakfast, before everyone settles into their work day. I have a bit more free time, and it would make me really happy.

Nice.

So basically just work at a company in an office and you'll be more productive.

Literally company

Sure, assuming that the other distractions present in an office don't offset that productivity.

I'm diagnosed with inattentive-variety ADHD. I worked in an office for 17 years and remotely for 5 years. I often feel more distracted at the office than by myself. Having a glass office wall/door and monitors facing it did very little to demotivate me from distractions.

Nothing has been anywhere as effective as sleep, nicotine patches and (prescribed) ritalin. But having someone actively working near me (even my daughter doing her schoolwork) does help a lot.

Personally... instead of acting as an external reminder to focus, the double tends to act as a fountain of distraction. I don't find being seen all that comforting, but that's a whole other thing

Right... Synergy, not just presence...

Wish I knew what that was like. I'm sure others have thought we synergized; I was left anxious and no closer

Really helps me, as someone diagnosed and medicated for inattentive adhd.

For example if someone emails me an issue saying "that invoice software you wrote has a slight miscalculation" instead of taking me ages to work up the ability to even start working on the issue never mind trying to calm my mind to go through the data logically - if i'm having a manic adhd day - I will get the person to pop along and we can go through the issue together, this helps my brain immensely.

Even at home now if I have something urgent to do, I'll get my mum or a friend to pop round and sit and chat with me while I do the work - whether it's the laundry, or laying turf in a garden.

Otherwise I'll procrastinate until it's (almost) too late yet feel guilty every second of the time I'm not doing what I need to do.

> ADHD body doubling is a productivity strategy used by individuals with ADHD to finish possibly annoying jobs while having another person beside them.

“Misery loves company” comes to mind.

I do this a lot; it's just nice to have some quiet companionship while working on something.

The difference between body doubling and "working in an office setting" is mutual agreement to avoid distracting each other. I usually combine body doubling with a pomodoro timer, so 25-30 minutes and then a break. This isn't conducive to deep flow work, but it's great for getting your taxes done, booking a trip, researching a dreaded thing, reviewing a PR, etc.

I recently found out that this is not a thing everyone does. This is essentially how I survived my studies, I was never able to concentrate at home except under intense stress. Quiet uni libraries were my safe space to get work done.

What’s the difference between body doubling and looking over someone’s shoulder? Looking over someone’s shoulder slows me down. Whereas someone I trust and like being nearby can be a big boost.

They used to call this "peer pressure". Admittedly this is a narrower form of it where you harness the power of vanity and shame for purposes of good, not evil.

Unrelated concept

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