Welcome to our comprehensive guide on the best body-doubling apps for individuals with ADHD. Here at Shimmer, We understand the unique challenges that come with staying focused and productive, and we're here to help you find the perfect tool to enhance your concentration and workflow.
Living with ADHD can present daily hurdles, from managing distractions to maintaining consistent productivity. However, technology offers a plethora of solutions to support individuals in overcoming these obstacles. Body doubling, a technique that involves working alongside others, whether virtually or physically, has proven to be an effective strategy for increasing focus and accountability.
In this blog post, we'll explore a curated selection of body-doubling apps, offering features such as structured time management, virtual collaboration, and customizable settings to suit your unique needs. Whether you prefer the camaraderie of working with others in real-time, or the flexibility of virtual accountability partners, we've got you covered.
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Cofocus is an online Body Doubling platform designed to foster productivity and accountability through 50-minute video sessions. Its user-friendly interface and flexible scheduling make it effective for connecting individuals seeking mutual support and encouragement. The app offers useful tools like a Pomodoro timer, task lists, and progress trackers to help users stay on track.
I think what I loved most about Cofocus was how easy it was to get started. The intuitive, minimalist-yet-still-aesthetically-pleasing design made it super easy to sign up, book a session, and go.
One of the standout features is the ability to send and receive friend requests to connect with your favorite co-workers. Once on your friend list, you’re able to chat with your favorites outside of scheduled sessions, enhancing collaboration and scheduling. You also have some limited customization options, such as the ability to change background colors and the way sessions appear on your calendar. (On that note, I personally love that it integrates with Google Calendar, ensuring I don’t accidentally book a focus session over coaching sessions).
There is also a gamification aspect, as Cofocus tracks consecutive usage days, so you can build up a streak over time. While the streak can be motivating, there's room for expansion in this area - I’m hopeful that in the future, there will be some kind of reward for building up your streak.
Cofocus is still a newer product, and as such it does have its drawbacks. For instance, the app's limitation to 50-minute sessions may be a no-go for users who prefer longer or shorter sessions. Additionally, some users might find the limited features not extensive enough to meet their specific needs. Another scheduling issue, I found, is that there is only a single time block for everyone in the app. If you decide you want to schedule a session for 1pm on Wednesday, for instance, and someone has already taken that block, you have to hope that they don’t already have a partner. If they do, you just can’t use Cofocus during that time.
The community aspect is beneficial, but there is definitely room for improvement. The discussion-board-style setup can be cumbersome, requiring users to scroll extensively to find relevant information.
Despite its limitations, Cofocus stands out as a great cost-effective option for those looking for a quick, simple body doubling platform. For those looking for a more feature-packed solution, I’d suggest moving on.
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Cave Day was actually the first body doubling service I ever tried, about a year and a half ago. (I made the decision pretty whimsically - I’ve always had a love for caves, so the name was appealing. I think it was also the first one that popped up when I did a google search). Cave Day’s focus is on “monotasking,” the practice of dedicating yourself to a single task until completion. Cave Day’s co-founders started it as a way to overcome procrastination on those overwhelming tasks that never seem to escape your to-do list with focused deep work sessions.
For starters, I really liked the Cave Day community. I’m not at all a community or forum person, but the conversations and networking opportunities were pretty cool, and everyone was really helpful and friendly. Inside the cave, the feel was much the same - friendly, laid-back, but with a shared excitement for productivity that I really enjoyed and found invigorating. The group sessions are led by a facilitator who helps everyone get into the mindset, and then helps you unwind for a quick break afterward or between sprints.
In addition to the 1 and 3-hr “caves” or “sprints,” Cave Day has a healthy amount of resources. There’s a 24/7 drop-in lounge, a handful of membership perks (discounts on other apps and services - yes, Shimmer is one of them 😉), monthly and weekly planning workshops, and even some task-specific caves - things like decluttering, taxes, and writing a pitch. Oh, and if you can’t make the live planning workshops, they also have on-demand guided planning videos, accompanied by nifty spreadsheets and notion templates you can use.
One of the cooler offerings (especially for those of us with ADHD, I think) is an option to join a monthly accountability group (called “cave squads”) with a shared spreadsheet of the things you’ll be working on. That way others can see if you complete it or not. Plus - for even more accountability - you set financial stakes for your tasks. If you don’t complete them, you pay - and the money goes to charity.
I didn’t like that I had to use a card to sign up for the free trial. Of all the body doubling services on this list, that requirement is actually pretty rare. For those of us with ADHD, who often pay an ADHD tax for forgotten trial memberships, this isn’t exactly ideal.
Another sore point - the community forum and accountability groups aren’t available at the lower tier. And the lower tier only allows for 4 caves per month. Those are pretty big limitations, in my book; compared to the other services in this review, Cave Day’s lowest membership tier really isn’t a great value. The middle tier is where it’s at - but at $35/month, it’s still higher than many of the other services.
The caves are also all group-based, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. They do have the option of starting a solo cave, which is literally just you in the room. I didn’t find that particularly helpful.
Finally, I didn’t find the UX to be as aesthetically pleasing, or intuitive, as some of the other services on this list.
I really do like Cave Day, and ultimately, it was the price that led me to look elsewhere. But for those who value a friendly, focused community of people who are dedicated to getting things done, Cave Day is a great option to consider if its in your price range.
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With FLOWN’s feature-packed platform, the better question might be, what isn’t FLOWN?
FLOWN markets its body doubling platform as “a simple yet powerful tool to overcome procrastination, distractions, and attention deficits.” They put a lot of work into crafting an environment perfect for entering the flow state - and they back it up with research. That’s always a big selling point, for me.
There’s really not enough time to get into every feature FLOWN offers in this review, so I’ll focus on the ones that stood out most for me.
First, there’s the flexibility of session types. They offer:
That amount of flexibility is less common among the body doubling services I looked into. I really liked the idea of the take-offs, in particular, which encourage you to take focused time for yourself, working on your personal well-being; not just getting things done.
Another feature I liked was how integrated the community is in the platform. On your dashboard or “launchpad,” as they call it, you can set intentions visible to the community. To me, the setup was reminiscent of a Facebook feed, but uncluttered by ads - just community intentions, which you can ‘like’ with an “Encourage 💪” button. I also liked the gamification feature. Your launchpad includes a progress bar, which fills each time you attend FLOWN sessions. As you progress, you earn nifty badges.
One more thing that really stood out was how much detail they provide up-front about what each session looks like before you join. For anyone who’s trying body doubling for the first time, or just generally an anxious bean, you’ll see a nice detailed breakdown like the one below for every session you click on, showing a minute-by-minute breakdown of the session, how many members to expect, whether or not you’ll need your camera and mic...just a ton of helpful info for those who like to know exactly what they’re getting into up front.
Honestly, it was difficult to find anything I disliked about FLOWN. The only thing I can say is that $25/month (or $19/month, billed annually), seems a little high off the bat - but, once you see everything you get for that price…well, it really seems like a great deal.
With so many features, I worried I might find some of them poorly executed; but that really didn’t seem to be the case. FLOWN really delivers on everything it offers - and it offers a lot. You can even remain at the free tier as long as you want, with full access to on-demand focus tools, access to all focus sessions on Fridays, and the ability to join and create community sessions all week. Add that to the robust community integration, simple yet aesthetically-pleasing design, and added focus on holistic wellness you just don’t see in many of the other services…FLOWN is a hard one to pass up.
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Another good option for the science-minded, Flow Club is a body doubling platform designed to help you get into the ‘Flow State.’ As described on their site, Flow State was defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University, as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.”
Sounds a lot like ADHD hyperfocus, right? That’s probably not a coincidence, as Flow Club is marketed more directly than many other platforms as the go-to productivity solution for neurodivergent minds. In fact, a page on the site exclaims, “Got ADHD? We do too!” They believe that:
Flow Club has a lot going for it. First, co-working sessions are available 24/7 - that definitely can’t be said about all platforms. And there is a lot of session length flexibility. I couldn’t find an official list of session lengths, but when I logged in to look at available sessions over the next couple of weeks, I found body doubling sessions ranging from 30-180 minutes. And getting started was super easy - you don’t even need to create a profile before joining your first session. Another neat feature - after you’ve joined 10 co-working sessions, you can sign up to host them yourself for a nice 50% discount on your subscription.
For those who are a bit camera shy or socially anxious, Flow Club appears to be one of the better options. To start, there are designated chat-only sessions available. This differs from some of the other sites, where camera and mic aren’t technically mandatory, but it is encouraged. They also provide a ton of information up front about each session before you join. You can see who the host is, and a little bio about them. You can see all the other members who have signed up for that session, and you can even send a link to invite a friend to join with you.
One of the things I liked most about Flow Club is that you can see the goals or tasks everyone else has committed to while you work (everyone shares theirs at the beginning of a session). This may be more of a bug than a feature depending on your preferences, but personally, I found this to be a decent accountability and motivation boost.
Personally, I prefer one-on-one body doubling to groups. So, for me, the fact that Flow Club only offers group sessions was a (relatively small) con. But, the groups are small, with only 8 people max, which is a lot less overwhelming than some other platforms.
I may be nit-picking here, too, but their stat tracking could use an upgrade. Many platforms don’t offer user stats at all, so it is a bonus. But more detailed (and more types of) data would offer even more opportunity for users to enhance productivity over time. Similarly, the goals feature, while nice, could be even better with just a bit more organization options - for example, the ability to add sub-goals, or to create a larger project and break it down into smaller chunks.
Ultimately, I found Flow Club to be a respectable contender for this list. It’s a little on the pricy side, but not outrageously so, and they do offer discounts for session host volunteers, for students, and for non-profits. And, for me, the amount of detail provided up front, enhanced accountability, 24/7 access, and the relative ease of getting started more than make up for the few lackluster features, which were all about personal preference anyway.
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Another platform that puts neurodiversity front and center, Deepwrk is a body doubling platform designed specifically for remote workers with ADHD. (Although, you don’t need an ADHD diagnosis to join, or to benefit from the service). Their behavioral science-based session structure is designed to help with concentration and productivity, using the power of gamification and community to help you get things done. According to their site, “Deepwrk is fighting against the unbalanced work-life divide for the neurodivergent community, who often find themselves isolated, stressed, and burned out from a lack of support.” Deepwrk members have access to over $265 in software discounts for a variety of ADHD-friendly products & resources.
The first standout for me was Deepwrk’s support team, which was super quick, friendly, and helpful when I reached out by email. Likewise, the member community seemed super friendly and helpful, and I definitely felt like I was with my people.
I also really liked their customizable Focus Space, which wears several different hats very stylishly. Use it as a clean dashboard, a chat room, or as a solo (but not alone) text-only co-working space. There are a ton of features, and yet, the design manages to be clean and uncluttered, even with all of them toggled on. You can choose to show or hide any of the tools, which include:
The last standout for me was Deepwrk’s gamification feature, which lets you track your progress and earn milestone rewards, like achievements and badges - not super robust, but more so than some other platforms (many of which didn’t have any gamification at all).
Like I said earlier, my personal preference is for 1-on-1 co-working, and you won’t find that here. There’s also less flexibility and availability. While the Focus Space can be used 24/7, there are only a total of around 70 live body doubling sessions per week, and the sessions are all for one hour.
Overall, I really liked Deepwrk. The platform is super simple and easy to navigate, while at the same time providing a surprising amount of customization and features. That, combines with the friendly customer support and gamification feature may be enough to persuade me to subscribe sometime soon.
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dubbii is unique in that the body doubling sessions are asynchronous - you’re not joining anyone in real time. Instead, there are pre-recorded videos for you to follow along with. Each video is a walkthrough of a particular task - changing the sheets, making the bed, unloading the dishwasher, etc. Some of these are broken down further - for example, there are three videos for laundry: starting a load, drying, and folding and putting away.
Since this was a brand new one to me, and different from the other options on the list, I decided to give it a try.
I picked changing the sheets as my free video. You get to choose who to follow along with - Rich or Rox. (I chose Rox because, as a fellow blue-haired human, I felt an instant connection.) The video started with a ~10 second clip of her telling you the first step - going to get the clean sheets. The video then pauses, giving you a chance to go get the sheets. Tap on Step 2, and she narrates herself performing the step along with some humorous commentary on how she feels about the task, and some tips and hacks on making this step easier.
There are apparently 8 steps to changing the sheets (no wonder I hate it!), or 9 steps if you count celebrating at the end. Each step is broken down in the same manner as the the first two - she tells you what the step is, you watch her perform it with some tips and commentary, then the video pauses. Once you complete all the steps in your task, you tap ‘Done’ at the top of the screen, and you’re prompted to set up an optional ‘nudge’ for this task.
After setting up a nudge, I unlocked a badge - “Pillow Wrangler” - for 1 day of changing the sheets. Presumably, you could earn additional badges for completing a task multiple times. You can also share your victory by taking a picture of your completed task and sharing it (of course, with a tag for @adhd_love_ and @dubbii.app).
I appreciated that there was an autoplay function, if you prefer to just go through the steps without pausing in between. However, I like that there is a pause built in so that if a certain step took me longer to complete, or I got interrupted, I don’t have to figure out where to rewind a full length video to in order to pick up where I left off. And, you can re-play each step as many times as you need to before moving on.
Unfortunately, the nudge for changing the sheets was automatically set up for tomorrow - and who changes their sheets every day? The only way to adjust when the nudge happens is by adding or subtracting 1 hour at a time, so if you want to wait more than a couple days to perform the task again, setting up this reminder is annoying. Assuming this is the same for all tasks in the app, I probably wouldn’t be utilizing the nudge function, because there are few cleaning tasks I do on a daily basis.
The fact that the videos are pre-recorded, rather than you working with someone in real time, could potentially be a pro or a con depending on how much accountability you need. But overall, I found dubbii to be quite enjoyable. I can certainly see this being a helpful resource on those days when the brain fog rolls in, and I just cannot break down the steps on my own. This also seems like a great option for anyone who is exceptionally introverted, or is unable to do video/audio or text body doubling.
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Shimmer is a coaching platform designed by, and for, adults with ADHD. The most affordable ADHD coaching solution out there, we created Shimmer because we believe in accessibility and breaking down the barriers many people encounter with managing adult ADHD. Recently, we added body doubling as one more feature for members to take advantage of. We currently offer body doubling sessions four times per week, and we’ll be adding even more body doubling sessions soon!
I can honestly say I liked every one of these body doubling platforms, and at least for me, there was no clear “winner.” I tried to include platforms with a range of pricing and features (and will be reviewing more in the future - stay tuned 😉). Ultimately, which co-working solution is best for you will depend on your unique needs and preferences.
If I had one piece of advice, I’d say try each of them for at least one session. If you’re reading this, you probably already know that our divergent brains become bored with a new thing more quickly than most, so having 2-3 options that you’ve already tested and like is a great way to plan ahead. When productivity and motivation begin to flag, switch to a different platform. And if the one you like the best is a little too pricy, reach out to their customer support. Some of these sites didn’t say anything about scholarships or reduced price options, but they were happy to provide them when asked.
Happy doubling!
