Body Doubling Setup Cheat Sheet

The presence does the heavy lifting; your job is the setup. Run the same three checklists every time and starting stops needing a debate.

The session is a container. The work inside is ordinary — the edges are what this sheet is for.

Two minutes of setup buys the whole session. Do these in order, every time.

• Name one task out loud or in writing: “For the next 50 minutes I am drafting the invoice.”
• Agree the check-in: when you report back, and to whom — even if the who is a text box.
• Set the session length and start the timer before you touch the work.
• Silence the rest: notifications off, extra tabs closed, phone face down or in another room.
• Put water and whatever you always get up for within reach.
• Start the presence — room, call, or video — before you decide whether you feel ready.

Setup done means go. There is no readiness check; the presence is the warm-up.

You are witnessed, not supervised. Nobody grades the session — these are the only rules in play.

• Work the declared task only; new ideas get parked on a side note.
• Drifting is fine — say “back to the invoice” and return without commentary.
• Need a break? Take it standing, away from feeds, back within five minutes.
• When the check-in fires, answer with one honest line, then continue or close.
• Stuck on the task itself? Say that at the check-in instead of silently switching tasks.

That is the whole rulebook. Boring sessions are the ones that work.

How the session ends decides how easy the next one starts. Always run the close, even from a good flow.

1. When the timer ends, stop mid-thought if needed — stopping on time is the skill.
2. Send the report: one line, what got done and what is next. “Drafted two sections; next is the totals table.”
3. Book the next session's start time if you want another.
4. Then actually leave: close the tab, stand up, let it be over.

A bad session gets the same one-line report. “Started late, did ten minutes” is complete.