Body doubling: what it is and how to try it

Body doubling means working alongside another person while each of you gets on with your own task. You are not collaborating, and you might not talk at all. The other person is simply there, doing their work while you do yours, and some people find that presence makes a task easier to start and easier to stay with.

This guide covers what body doubling is, what people say they get from it and how to try it this week with nothing more than a friend and a quiet hour. At the end we show how it works in PlexiDesk, for the days when nobody is around to sit with you.

What body doubling is

The University of York's library, which sets aside desks for it, puts the idea in one sentence: "Study Doubling (or Body Doubling) is when two (or more) people work side by side without necessarily collaborating." (opens in a new tab) The same page adds: "It's about showing up, being present, and doing the work while someone else is doing theirs."

A few things follow from that.

• Each person has their own task. You are not helping each other or checking each other's work. You might be writing a report while your partner sorts invoices.
• Talking is optional. Some pairs say hello and what they are working on, then go quiet. Others work in silence from start to finish.
• It works in a room or on a screen. Virtual body doubling is the same practice over a video call, with each person at their own desk.
• It has a start and an end. A session is a set block of time, which gives the work a shape.

Body doubling sits alongside other habits that help with starting and finishing work, such as working in short timed sessions. Our page on focus and follow-through in PlexiDesk shows the tools PlexiDesk has for those.

What people say it helps with

The York page names the two things at the heart of it: "The key is the silent accountability and the sense of companionship." Here is what that can look like in a working day.

• Getting started. Telling another person "I'm going to work on the budget for the next hour" turns a vague intention into a small, spoken commitment.
• Staying with a dull task. With someone else working nearby, keeping going with filing, admin or a long edit can feel less like drifting through it alone.
• Working on your own. If you work from home, a session can put another person in the room for an hour, even if neither of you says a word.
• Ending on purpose. Because the session has an agreed finish, you stop at a point you chose rather than whenever your attention runs out.

You will see body doubling mentioned in connection with ADHD, as the York page does, but nothing about it is tied to a diagnosis, and anyone can try it. Treat it as a practice to experiment with, not a treatment. We make no claims about what it does for any condition, and if you are looking for support with ADHD, a doctor or another qualified health professional is the right person to talk to.

Ways to try it this week

You don't need special software to find out whether body doubling suits you. Pick one of these and try a single session.

• A friend or colleague on a video call. Agree a start time and a length, such as 45 minutes. Cameras on, microphones muted, each of you working. Say what you are going to do at the start and how it went at the end.
• A library. Some libraries set up spaces for it. At York, desks are arranged in pairs, booking is not required, and the page is clear that "You are not obliged to communicate with your Study Double partner." Elsewhere, a library table where other people are working gives you some of the same feeling.
• A quiet work session. If your workplace, a community group or a co-working space runs quiet working sessions, join one and treat the room as your body double.
• Someone at home. A partner or flatmate paying bills at the same table while you write a report counts.
• A partner found for you. If nobody is around, PlexiDesk can look for someone who wants the same amount of contact as you. We explain how it works below.

Start small. Choose one concrete task, not "catch up on everything", and keep the first session short. Afterwards, jot down what helped and what got in the way, so the next session can be adjusted.

Agree the ground rules

Most of the awkwardness in body doubling comes from not deciding things up front. Before you start, agree:

1. How long, and when you will stop. A clear finish time makes it easy to commit.
2. Whether you will talk. Not at all, a quick hello at the start, or the odd word now and then.
3. Cameras. On for presence, off, or pointed at your desk rather than your face. Whatever you choose, make it fine to change your mind.
4. What you will each work on. Saying it out loud can help you commit. Keep it to one line, and keep it optional.
5. How to leave early. Anyone can leave without explaining. That makes it easier to say yes next time.
6. A check-in at the end. One line each on how it went is enough.

As an example, here is how that might look for Jo, a freelance writer who finds afternoons hard. Jo and a friend agree on 3 pm to 4 pm, twice a week. They say hello and name their tasks, mute for the hour, then spend two minutes at the end saying what got done. Nothing more elaborate is needed.

Body doubling in PlexiDesk

When there is nobody to sit with you, PlexiDesk can look for someone. The Body double button in the header bar at the top of PlexiDesk pairs you with another PlexiDesk user, matched at random from people who picked the same mode as you, so you both want the same amount of contact.

A session goes like this:

1. Click Body double in the header and choose how much interaction you would like.
2. Click Find a partner. PlexiDesk looks for someone who picked the same option.
3. When you are matched, you see your partner's session name and, if they chose to share it, what they are working on. Click Start session, or Skip.
4. The session opens in a private PlexiiMeet room that no one but the two of you can join, docked to the side of your screen so you can carry on working.

The privacy rules are set out in the panel before you start:

• Your camera is on for presence, and you can turn it off at any time.
• Your partner sees a made-up session name, such as QuietCedar34, never your name or email.
• Nothing is recorded.
• You can end the session whenever you like, or Block someone to end it and never be matched with them again.
• Your screen is never shared. On a Mac, macOS asks for the camera the first time you body double, and for the microphone in any mode other than Silent. See allow microphone, camera and screen recording on a Mac.

You need to be signed in to find a partner. Body doubling is part of the Pro and Team plans, and every new account gets 14 days with every Team feature unlocked, so you can try it during your trial. The plans are compared on the pricing page.

Choose how much contact you want

The four modes run from quietest to chattiest, and you are matched with someone who picked the same one.

• Silent is the default: cameras on, no microphone and no chat, just someone else working too.
• Intros only: say hello and what you are working on. Microphones mute after two minutes, then it is quiet.
• A little chat is fine: microphones start muted. You can send a text message, or unmute for a quick word now and then.
• Happy to talk: microphones on and chat open, for co-working out loud.

In every mode except Silent, you can add a short line about what you are working on, which is shared with your partner. It is optional, so leave it blank if you would rather not say.

A body double pairs well with a timer. The Focus timer widget on your Home dashboard starts a five-minute session in one click, and when the time is up you choose Done for now or keep going for 5, 15 or 25 more minutes. Five minutes is a gentle way in on a day when even starting feels like too much; our post on the five-minute start explains the idea.

When the session ends, take a minute to write down where you stopped and what comes next, as described in how to write a re-entry note. Then try another session later in the week and see whether it suits you. For the rest of the tools that help you start and finish work, see focus and follow-through in PlexiDesk.