The ADHD Hack That Makes Executive Function Feel Easier: Body Doubling

Aug 5

Have you ever looked at a room that desperately needed to be organized and thought, “I know exactly what needs to be done, so why can’t I start?”

Yeah. Me too.

You start with the best of intentions. You're ready to tackle it. Then you take one look at the room, and suddenly your brain hits the brakes. It's like your body and your mind stop cooperating. You know what needs to happen, but you can't seem to make yourself take the first step.

One of the most frustrating parts of living with ADHD isn't not knowing what to do—it's that our brains sometimes refuse to let us do what we want to do.

The dishes pile up. The laundry turns into a mountain. Paper clutter seems to multiply overnight. Or maybe you're two hours into "organizing" your closet, and all you've managed to do is pull everything out into an even bigger mess.

Now you're standing in the middle of the chaos, overwhelmed, frustrated, and wondering how something that seemed so simple got so hard.

If you've ever experienced that, I want you to know you're not alone. And there are strategies to get you through it!

One of the biggest game changers for me has been something called body doubling.

What is Body Doubling?

So… what is body doubling? The simplest explanation? It's having another person around while you work.

That's it. That’s literally all it is.

They're not organizing for you. They're not judging you. They don't even have to be working on the same thing. They're just... there - physically present.

It sounds almost too simple to work, but it does. Studies show that ADHDers follow through more often when body doubling.

I remember hearing about body doubling for the first time and thinking, “There's no way my brain is going to fall for that.”

Spoiler alert: it absolutely did.

Why Does This Weird Little Trick Work?

If you have ADHD, you've probably had this experience:

You can spend three hours thinking about cleaning the kitchen... and then your friend says they're coming over in 20 minutes, and suddenly you've cleaned the entire house at superhero speed.

ADHD brains often respond really well to external structure and accountability. Just having another person nearby gives my brain enough of a nudge to stop spinning its wheels and actually begin.

Once I get started, I'm usually okay. It's the getting started that's the hard part. Body doubling helps bridge that gap.

It's One of the Reasons I Love Organizing With Clients

People sometimes think they're hiring a professional organizer because I know where to put things. Sure—that's part of it.

But honestly? A huge part of what I do is simply showing up.

When I'm there, my clients make decisions more easily. They don't get as overwhelmed. They stay focused longer. We keep moving forward together.

I've had clients tell me they've been meaning to organize a room for three years... and then we finish it in one afternoon. Not because I'm magical, but because sometimes our brains work better when we're not doing hard things alone.

Sometimes our brains work better when we’re not doing hard things alone.

You Don't Have to Do It Alone

Body doubling can happen almost anywhere. Here’s a few examples:

Ask a friend to sit with you while you tackle paperwork.
FaceTime your sister while you fold laundry.
Meet a coworker for a quiet productivity session.
Join an online body doubling group.

The other person doesn't need to help you organize—or even work on the same thing. They might be answering emails, reading a book, folding laundry, or working on their laptop. Simply having another person present while you work can make it easier to get started, stay focused, and keep going.

My Favorite Reminder

One thing I've learned about ADHD is that we spend a lot of time thinking we need more motivation. Most of the time, we don't.

We need less overwhelm.
We need a place to start.
We need someone to help us stay in the moment instead of getting lost in all 247 steps our brains are trying to process at once.

Body doubling does exactly that.

Houston & Online Body Doubling Resources

If you'd like to try body doubling, here are a few great places to start:

Houston Area

Virtual Body Doubling Group – A therapist-led virtual accountability group for adults with ADHD. There’s also this one!
ADDA Southern Region – Houston-based ADHD nonprofit with support groups and opportunities to connect with others.
Hold My Hope Mental Health Therapy – Offers ADHD support groups, coaching, and accountability.
Deepwrk or Flown - Online body doubling groups for adults with ADHD.
Passionate Writer Coaching - Body doubling group specifically for writers with ADHD.
Focusmate – One-on-one virtual coworking sessions available throughout the day.
BodyDoubling.com – Free community built around finding body doubling partners.
Flow Club – Facilitated virtual focus sessions with goal setting.
ShareWell – Free online ADHD body doubling support groups.
BeaHere Focus – Simple virtual focus rooms you can join anytime.
ADHD reWired – Coaching and accountability communities for adults with ADHD.
You can also check your local Facebook groups, like Buy Nothing, as well as meetup.com for more resources!

Final Thoughts

Living with ADHD has taught me that productivity isn't about trying harder; it's about figuring out what actually works for your brain.

For me, body doubling has been one of those things that made me stop fighting my brain and start working with it instead.

If you've been putting off organizing your home because you just can't seem to get started, maybe you don't need more motivation. Maybe you just need someone in the room.

And if you want me to be that person, I'd love to help.