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This is a concept primarily for people with ADHD by the way, if you're not in this target group you might not understand why it's needed, as we already see in this thread.
If this concept resonates, https://www.flow.club/ is where you'll find people who practice this technique regularly. We use it to do everything from the work we care about and want to be even better at, to work we don't care for like taxes, bills and laundry but have some mental block or emotional resistance to.

I think people with ADHD are hyper attuned to the effort that goes into everything from the moment we wake up (related term: executive dysfunction), so we look for ways to facilitate "doing." Other people who have similar levels of awareness tend to be self-employed (your time costs you), working parents (limited time and energy) and graduate students (long-term dread), but not everyone. And no, I don't think this is a purely remote work issue.

With all the AI discussion I'll just take a moment to talk about humans. HN probably thinks anything having to do with other humans are yuck especially on the internet and would be proven right most of the time. But humans and internet-mediated humans can also be great if the product does a good and careful job to allow their best parts shine. That's why we love HN and admire dang, and we try to make https://www.flow.club/ another awesome human corner of the internet.

I'm just so tired of this VC urge to monetize every possible aspect of human interaction. You're selling yourself as a "community", but instead of actually doing that you lure people in with a free trial, to then use the friendships people make to lock them into a ridiculous 40€/month subscription.

Sorry, but I'm not paying 3x a netflix subscription for what amounts to little more than a glorified discord bot.

Actually, now that I look for it, I found this exact product as a discord server. And would point people there instead: https://discord.com/invite/study

Mentioned this below as well. Seconding Flow Club. I don't have ADHD, but am just a new parent and god having an "appointment" w/ other people for deep work changes everything.

Shoutout to Ricky and co!

I’ve been doing this for a long time, calling them “study parties”. It works quite well for me. I wonder if this is some sort of indication that I have adhd, or if it’s just a generally effective strategy.
I used to host weekly virtual co-working for founders who needed some accountability. We got a lot done during those sessions and ultimately met my co-founder through it. Later today we'll be body doubling virtually to get our taxes done together.
Why do you say “used to host”? What made you stop?
I’ve noticed this quite a few times before when working with my systems administrator: He calls me in for a debugging session of a problem he‘s been stuck on for some time and within a few minutes (or less than a minute) he finds the solution. I’ve always seen it as him having to reorganize his thoughts to give me a somewhat structured introduction into the problem. And somewhere along the path he finds the missing piece.
Rubber ducking works better with a live duck.
Attempts have been made to replicate this effect, with limited success, through the use of a rubber duck:

https://rubberduckdebugging.com/

The general idea is to first try explaining your problem to the duck, which is thought to activate the same problem restructuring pathways. However, I've always found that a human makes for a much better rubber duck in practice. Something about the immediacy of the conversation helps my brain to stay on task and not get distracted partway through the explanation.

This happens to me too but I also find taking a walk is all that I need and often try not to drag other people into it
This, absolutely. Can totally relate.
You don't necessarily need the person to be there. My house is never cleaner than after I've been on the phone with a friend. My mind shuts off, my body does all the chores I've been procrastinating, while my friend does her art, and we both catch up on life.

Comparatively, working in a coffee shop does not make me get more work done, I just feel better.

I’ve intuitively know about ‘body doubling’ for years but had never heard the term. I’ve just always understood that I tend to get the most work done in coworking spaces and cafes and not when I’m at home by myself.
I can confirm this. As soon as there is someone else near me, I become productive. When I am alone I have no big motivation to do anything.
I’m complete opposite.
This was the only way I could study in college. I had “study groups” but in reality all we did was sit quietly next to each other working through our own material. Worked amazingly.

I’m not ADHD, but that’s probably a bigger discussion

I find this also works when you go to coffeeshops that have a lot of people working
I am the exact opposite. I used to hear about people going to coffee shops and doing work and I would go there and I’d just be completely distracted by everything around me. I was forced to work in an open office for a while and I would have to leave early and risk getting in trouble so that I could get work done at home.
That's interesting, though I feel the same about open offices.

The difference for me is strangers vs. colleagues.

There's a lot more interruptions when you know the people around you.

Is this common? Maybe that's one of the reasons that people push for RTO, they can't work alone?
When I was in office, I had a lot of trouble working even though I am most productive while body doubling. The overhead lights, the random interruptions from people that know you or want something from you . . .. After I got to campus, I spend most days down at the coffee shop, or a local cafe or something of that nature.

Being around people, with distractions removed was the key for me. Just me, and my laptop.

As for how common it is? IDK, but I don't see RTO as being the key (might work for some people?).

When I was work from home, I was a lot more productive by myself, however when I found I had a really tough project that I was having trouble starting, a couple hours of body doubling at a local cafe tended to help. I.e., I'm going to the coffee shop for 2 hours to do this one task.

It’s anecdotally definitely one reason people work in co-working spaces, or even coffee shops and the like.

Some people think these are just used by people who have no quiet space, or no comfortable space, at home - but that’s not the case.

You don't need the physical presence though. Find another neurospicy person at work and you can do it with them remotely.
I feel like I'm opposite of this camp or have some excessive attention disorder but not on the spectrum or anything either. I just can't focus at all in this situation, can't work in coffeeshops, could never study in libraries, can't multitask/read/study/create/etc if the TV or radio is on. My brain is kind of single threaded.

I don't even like using productivity tools or todo apps beyond just listing things at a high level on a post it / white board so I don't forget about something and can prioritize/sort them. Creating daily goals and breaking things down into bite sized actions just seems like a waste of time doing what is obvious to accomplish the larger objective IMO.

That said, I do like working in the an out-of-home office. My home does pull me off my screen and I end up tinkering in the yard, cleaning the pool, etc. throughout the day at the expense of GSD

I'm not sure how common this is, but I would guess most people experience it to some degree.

I've worked remotely since 2013, and love the convenience, but still need to get out from time to time. I've noticed this in an office setting as well. After ~4 years at my first job, every day in the same room and with the same ~10 people, I noticed that the change in atmosphere at my 2nd job (which had many/varying people in proximity) made it easier to focus.

I don't know if it's that people are there as much as it is a change of scenery, but when a place is bustling it makes it feel like it's constantly changing.

The reasons that managers/execs push for RTO are complex, and sometimes disingenuous and nefarious.

As someone who’s worked remote (and async) and also in big offices, sometimes I see individual workers celebrating RTO for misguided reasons:

1. They use work as a social space

2. They enjoy the break of getting out of their house/from family/partner

3. The ritual of going to and from work as a separate space is helpful

All of these are solvable without mandating RTO, so it is frustrating when workers align themselves with RTO mandates when they could just solve the above.

1. Sometimes people don’t pursue friendships outside their work or family. You should! It is healthy!

2. I sometimes see people not set boundaries during work days, and have their own partners not respect their boundaries (“please don’t come in my office when I’m on a call”). Here, they’re leaning on RTO to set a boundary on their behalf.

3. During WFH in 2020-2021, I set a ritual where I’d go for a walk around the block with a coffee before returning to my small Manhattan apartment. I used Phillips Hues to change the lighting to colder when in work mode.

Offices are a bonus when you live near to them, but mandating their usage is crazy. If workers don’t feel happier and more productive when going into an office, and recognize it as an advantage for them doing work, then execs should recognize that the office is lacking somehow.

Anecdotally, I was incredibly productive for a few weeks after switching to forced WFH in 2020. I didn't want to look lazy/bored around my wife, so I did every accumulated task on my list.

Now I use my biweekly office day to clear my backlogged tasks for the same reason: if you want to look busy, might as well work.

Nope, not with today's open plan offices. Body doubling works because both people involved are aware of support each other's intention and focus. At work you're all there for the same reason, broadly speaking, but you may have radically different and conflicting tasks. There's no way everyone can be fully accommodating of everyone else's needs. Plus, the environment is some unpleasant aggregate of barely tolerable for everyone: noise levels, temperature, lighting, ergonomics.

Want me back in the office? Give me an office, with one, maybe two, office mates that I get along with. A door I (we) can close when needed.

A friend of mine used to call me with technical/programming issues. He would explain the problem on the phone and suddenly come up with the solution, then thank me profusely even though I didn't really do anything. I don't know whether he was an ADHD case or not, but I thought he was, and he used to speak with a pronounced stutter especially when excited. Spending any time with him would make clear why: thoughts and ideas came at him so fast they were difficult to serialize through speech.

Anyways, I'm not sure whether this is "body doubling" or "rubber ducking", or even if there isn't significant overlap between the two concepts.

I happened to do this at work with a coworker, and it was fantastic. I immediately went from being able to get nothing done to being able to be productive.
This reminds me of https://www.focusmate.com/
I used to get more done within an hour on the sofa next to my ex watching her shows, than I did in the four hours preceding it at my desk.

As a single guy now, I have the "leisure" to stretch my work hours far longer into the night and I get just as much done as when I was with her.

Shoutout https://www.flow.club/

Fantastic body doubling service

I don't feel I should pay for such a thing.
See also http://focusmate.com, http://focus101.com, http://caveday.com, and many more!
Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33478562 (November 5, 2022 — 325 points, 199 comments)
Any difference between this and https://www.focusmate.com ?
Site takes like 10 seconds to load. Did HN give it the kiss of death?
everyone needs a friend
See also https://adhdactually.com/membership Basically moderated by a small team zoom sessions to body double.
That's one hell of a term to mean being afraid of being alone.
I haven't read the article yet, but is it about body weight doubling?
If you need to practice body doubling it’s suggested you don’t go into a career doing knowledge work because you will likely have to spend a lot more time working alone.
It's suggested by who? The alternatives may be worse, or not available in some way to a person.