Sustained Accountability Using Body Doubling

When faced with a daunting task, completing it alone can feel isolating and incredibly unmotivating. Take what happened as many in-person activities transitioned to solo work from home activities during the Covid-19 as an example; folks who were accustom to being in an office all day, or in a classroom, surrounded by others, quickly lost the motivation to work when isolated. As routines went out the window, people who thrive around the energy of others really struggled to complete day-to-day tasks.

Body doubling is a simple, yet powerful technique for ditching isolation. Tap into a friend, your spouse or partner, family member, colleague or classmate with a similar need to "get stuff done" and agree on a time and place (conference room, coffee shop, gym, etc.) to work on your goal or project side-by-side. Body doubling has long been used by those who struggle to stay on task, but it is a technique that can work for everyone! You do not need to have the same goal for this to be effective. Agree on:

• Where you'll meet,

• How long your session will last,

• If you'll take breaks, and

• If chatting is allowed or not allowed during your session.
  

Simply being in the presence of peer who is also working towards a goal will naturally help keep you focused, accountable, and feeling motivated!

Below are some examples of body doubling and how this technique can apply to you:

• If you start tracking your habits, ask your body doubling partner to track some of their own habits as well so you can check in with each other once a day at a designated time

• If you want to start walking outside once per week, invite your body doubling partner to join so it can keep you accountable and make the experience even more enjoyable

• If you start cooking more at home, have your body doubling partner join in for a meal so you can cook together

• If you want to start meal planning, meet with your body doubling partner in person or over FaceTime so you can plan the week ahead in parallel

• If you want to make time to journal and work on your mindfulness, meet with your body doubling partner to journal independently at a coffee shop

No peer available? No problem! Think about ways to use the technology at your fingertips. FaceTime or Zoom with your accountability partner. Utilize “Study With Me” videos on YouTube as your body double to help with tasks that you may feel are more independent (i.e. journaling, meal planning, etc.) - there are TONS to choose from:

This video uses the Pomodoro method, building in 5 minute breaks after 25 minutes of work:

The energy we receive from others can be transformative. Body doubling is one strategy that can help you become more accountable for the goals that you have set for yourself. Not only will you benefit, but so will your body double. It should be mutually beneficial. Reach out to a peer, or click on a video above, to start your first session. Let us know what you think!