Feeling Disengaged at Work? Find Someone to Hold You Accountable.

If you’re having trouble staying focused at work, you might benefit from a technique called “body doubling” — where you work in the physical or virtual presence of another person. Originally started as a strategy to help people with ADHD to stay focused on a task, the benefits of body doubling are significant. It can lessen your feelings of isolation, since you are in the presence of someone else. It can decrease procrastination and increase your accountability, since you will have made a commitment to your “double” to do your work, rather than check social media or take a break. You could experience a greater sense of calm, especially if your double models calm on their end. You may learn more effective ways of working just by observing how your double gets things done. You might also develop your feelings of confidence and competence, since you will have done the work on your own — even though another person was, technically, there. Finally, you might accomplish even more than you intended, especially if your double holds you to a high standard.