Encourage Practice with Body Doubling

The hardest part of doing something is often taking the first step. Some days motivation comes naturally, while on others we have to find creative ways to push ourselves to get things done. In this feature, performance psychologist and musician, Dr. Noa Kageyama shares evidence-based research on how we can encourage ourselves to practice.

One effective motivational strategy is practicing alongside others, or what Dr. Kageyama refers to as “body doubling” or "doing work in the presence of someone else, in order to get things done." Kageyama points to research showing that “body doubling” can significantly boost motivation:

Nearly half of the participants indicated that they were more likely to complete tasks when body doubling than when not. And about 85% noted that they found this to help with task completion to some degree.

If you are feeling stuck and needing some motivation to practice, read more about it here!

Photo credit: Pixabay.com