Body doubling is a way to work independently while sharing a space with other people who are also working.
You can use Body Doubling at Charles Sturt for study, life admin, creative work or any task that benefits from focused time.
You do not need to be neurodivergent or have a formal diagnosis to take part.
Body Doubling at Charles Sturt takes place online in a drop-in study space called the Focus Lounge, which is hosted in Zoom.
You will work on your own task while sharing the online space with other students. You're not expected to collaborate, work on the same activity or explain what you are working on.
You can work independently, at your own pace and in the way that suits you best.
The presence of other people can provide gentle structure and make it easier to begin a task, maintain focus or feel less isolated while studying.
Body doubling may suit you if you:
Body doubling does not work in the same way for everyone. You can try the Focus Lounge and decide whether it is useful for you.
The Focus Lounge is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can enter at any time and use it as a focus space or virtual study space.
You are not expected to speak and can choose how you engage with other students. Cameras are optional and microphones should remain muted. You are encouraged to use the Zoom chat if you would like to connect with others.
Facilitated body doubling sessions are also held in the Focus Lounge. Session days and times vary throughout the year and are advertised on the Body Doubling Brightspace site.
You will need to register for Body Doubling to access the Brightspace site and view upcoming facilitated sessions.
You can use the Focus Lounge for anything that would benefit from dedicated focus time, including:
There is no required activity. You choose what to work on and move through it at your own pace.
The Charles Sturt Body Doubling Pilot was developed through conversations between neurodivergent students and the Neurodiversity Project Officer in Accessibility and Inclusion.
Students identified body doubling as a practical way to support focus, connection and participation. The program was co-designed with neurodivergent students and places shared presence, connection and belonging at its centre.
Body doubling has roots in community practices that use shared presence to provide mutual support. While the term is now commonly associated with productivity tools and services, the Charles Sturt approach is not focused on productivity alone.
Learn more about the research
Eagle, T., Baltaxe-Admony, L. B., and Ringland, K. E. (2024). “It Was Something I Naturally Found Worked and Heard About Later”: An Investigation of Body Doubling with Neurodivergent Participants. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing, 17(3), Article 16..