You can't write the email alone at your desk. But sit in a coffee shop and it flows. You can't clean the apartment solo. But if your friend sits on the couch while you do it, suddenly it's easy. This is body doubling, and it's one of the most reliable ADHD tools that exists.
What it is
Body doubling is working in the physical or virtual presence of another person. They don't need to help, participate, or even know what you're working on. Their presence alone changes your brain's ability to engage.
Why it works
Social facilitation: another person increases physiological arousal, pushing an understimulated ADHD brain closer to optimal activation. External accountability: even implicit ("someone can see me") provides motivation ADHD brains can't generate internally. Co-regulation: borrowing their calm, focused energy stabilizes your own regulatory state. The same mechanism that helps babies calm down in a caregiver's arms works in adults with self-regulation differences.
How to use it
In person: Coffee shops, libraries, coworking spaces. Even family in the same room counts.
Virtually: Focusmate, Discord study rooms, or a silent video call with a friend.
If you've been fighting through task initiation alone, body doubling might be the simplest intervention you haven't tried. And if you can't find a body double, a visible progress tracker creates a gentler version of the same accountability.