“EVERY WOMAN I TALK TO WANTS MORE HOURS IN THE DAY”

ENTER: THE BODY DOUBLING TRICK

by Laurie Stein, LMS Coaching

I coach women in leadership positions and women who are the boss of their house.

One thing every woman I talk to has in common is the need for more energy to “get more done” during the day.

Why do we all feel this pressure? Women put this pressure on themselves to be everything to everyone. We’ve even been termed as being “squished in the sandwich” since we feel the need to take care of our parents, our own family at home, our obligations at work, and sometimes, even the grandchildren.

No wonder every woman I know feels physically and mentally exhausted, overworked, tapped out, and just done…asking me when we chat “What’s the magic pill?” to get more energy or “How do I get more hours in my day?” to get more done.

I hear this question from so many women, so I wanted to share a productivity tool that is used for people suffering from ADHD, but many of my clients find it useful. So many people are lonely at home due to the pandemic, and it’s downright hard to get motivated.

It’s called Body Doubling.

It combines accountability with community in a way that seems to help “get shit done.”

What is it? A body double is someone who sits with a person while they perform similar or different tasks that are difficult to accomplish alone. This can be sitting in person, or you can go live with Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, or find a friend on Facetime while you do your task.

Why does it work? If we are having trouble getting started on a task, even something we like to do, this is what psychologists call “activation.” When we have company, we tend to start the task faster and complete it faster, leading to more productive behavior.

Most of my clients don’t care why body doubling works, they are just happy to have a tool to make them more productive. However, here is some research behind it.

Many times we don’t want to start the task due to lack of motivation and isolation, and body doubling can give us just enough social interaction to not feel alone and get us started.

The built-in-accountability you get from seeing another person also doing a task can be used for virtually any task you are trying to accomplish. Have you seen your children online with friends while they do their homework? You can do the same with a partner and a task.

Examples of things a body double could help you get done:

• Clean out your closet, kitchen, office desk
• Exercising
• Organizing
• Vacuum, dust, doing laundry
• Create a meal plan for the week
• Write in your journal
• Return emails
• Pay bills

If you want to have a body double with someone in person, think about people in your life who would be supportive and understanding. You don’t need to talk while you work, unless you want to; you can even form body doubling groups. You might take the first few minutes to chat, and end up making small talk about background noises as you work. But, keep in mind you can end up with a person who is TOO chatty and end up getting nothing done.

For anyone trying to be more productive, but needs help with motivation and feeling isolated, the body doubling trick is a real game-changer.