Body doubling isn't a new thing, but there's still tons of people who don't know about it. If you struggle with motivation, keeping on track, or flounder when you're working from home (as many of us authors do), then body doubling is a great technique to get yourself focused, especially when combined with Pomodoro timers, plentiful to-do lists, and some break-time chatter.
What is Body Doubling?
Ever felt like you can't get anything done if you're not with someone else there watching you? It's a super common issue (especially for those of us with ADHD), but unless someone points you in the right direction, you probably won't stumble on the tools to help keep you on track.
Over the past few years, there's been a surge in websites, tools and games to allow digital body doubling. Given that third spaces are expensive, hard to book, or nearly impossible to schedule a get together in, virtual co-working has become an incredible alternative to sitting in an overpriced cafe for six hours whilst you try to finish your first draft. It's also just easier to sit down on your PC for half an hour than it is to arrange a whole day out with people who may or may not even show up.
When it comes to digital co-working, there's plenty of ways to do it. Personally, I don't like websites that require your webcam to be on, so I'm not including those in this list. I love setting up a to-do list with a friend, and working in 10-20 minute chunks with breaks in between so we can discuss what we achieved or what problems we ran into. You may prefer a more chatty co-working time, or a more gamified experience... and these three tools cover all those things.
OhWrite: Writing Sprints for Accountability
Once upon a time, I loved a website called Writedeck. It was a writing sprint platform that showed you the word count of everyone involved in the sprint. It was simple, but it worked. Writedeck went the way of the dodo a long time ago, but OhWrite is an outstanding alternative.
Set up a private room or join the global room, and write away with your fellow writers. You can set your own sprint timer, and there's a chat for when you're on a break. If you love a bit of competition, then OhWrite could be the thing that keeps you on track.
On-Together: Virtual Co-working for Authors, Creatives, and Students
This is a newer game on Steam, and the cute aesthetic may turn some folks away. Still, it was worth mentioning as a virtual co-working game. The major benefit to On-Together, at least for me, is that you can see everyone in your room as an avatar. There are also productivity tools such as a journal, habit tracker, and Pomodoro timer just like Spirit City, but for me, the primary draw is the co-working.
With On-Together, you can make your own rooms or join a public one. There's usually plenty of rooms to pick from, and this gamified experience lets you earn 'tickets' (the in-game currency) for being productive, as well as offering mini-games to play during your breaks such as fishing and basketball. It's a relaxing game that, for me, fits easily into my productivity stack (but I still prefer Spirit City for solo writing sessions).
Feel like a cute co-working game is the body doubling method for you? It's available on Steam right now for 8.50GBP, or available as a bundle with Spirit City.
Discord Bots: Writing Sprints on Discord
Arguably one of the longest standing ways to digitally body double with fellow writers, Discord bots are versatile... and pretty much in every writing server you can think of. This is a free way of tackling writing sprints with people in real time, but unlike OhWrite, you'll only know how much your competitors have written at the end of each sprint.
There's a handful of bots that people use for writing sprints, but my favorite is Writer-Bot. You can set up projects, targets, and get challenges, all on Discord. If you have some writerly friends, get together for some sprints on a social app you probably already have downloaded. Another benefit to using Discord bots? You can still write in your software of choice, instead of using something specific like with OhWrite.
Bonus: Trackbear Leaderboards
This one isn't technically body doubling, but I wanted to add it anyway. Trackbear can be an outstanding way to keep yourself on track over longer periods of time, thanks to the leaderboards feature. If you have a competitive streak, then it can be really motivating to sit at the top of the leaderboard, and fight for the first place throne. There are plenty of public leaderboards that get shared on Reddit, Discord, and other social media, but you can always grab a bunch of friends together and start your own!
Comments ()