Virtual Coworking and Body Doubling - What, Why and How

We all know what it feels like to have a long to-do list, plenty of good intentions and somehow very little progress to show for it. We sit down to work, open our laptops and promise ourselves that today will be different. Then the distractions begin. We check our emails, look at our phones, make another cup of tea or find ourselves doing anything other than the task we set out to complete.

At 95, we believe that getting things done is not simply about having the right productivity tools or learning to manage our time more effectively. Sometimes, what we really need is another person alongside us, helping us stay focused, motivated and accountable.

That is where virtual coworking and body doubling come in. Both are ways of working alongside other people, even when we are physically apart, to make it easier to get started, maintain concentration and follow through on our intentions. Rather than trying to tackle everything alone, we create a shared environment where showing up, making progress and supporting one another become part of the process.

We are introducing Focus Together, a new feature in the 95 accountability app, to bring this idea to life. Focus Together is built around the simple belief that working towards our goals can feel easier when we do it with other people. It gives us a way to connect with others, create a sense of shared purpose and make focused work feel less solitary.

In this article, we explore what virtual coworking and body doubling mean, why they can be helpful, how to make the most of them and how Focus Together can help us build better working habits through human accountability and support.

What is virtual coworking?

Virtual coworking is the practice of working online alongside another person or a group of people. We do not need to be in the same room, building or even country. We simply need a shared space where we can work at the same time, each concentrating on our own tasks.

Unlike a traditional online meeting, virtual coworking is not necessarily about discussing work, presenting ideas or collaborating on the same project. We might be writing an article while someone else studies for an exam, completes their admin or works on a creative project. Our tasks can be completely different. What matters is that we are working alongside one another with a shared intention to make progress.

This can take different forms. We might join a scheduled online session, work alongside a friend on a video call, or connect with a group of people who want to use their time more intentionally. Some sessions include a quick introduction, a period of quiet focus and a short check-in at the end. Others are more informal, with people simply sharing a space while they work.

The essential ingredient is the feeling that we are not doing it entirely alone. Knowing that other people are also showing up to work can make it easier to settle down, resist distractions and stick with a task for longer.

Virtual coworking can be useful for freelancers, remote workers, students, entrepreneurs and anyone who needs to concentrate without the structure of a traditional workplace. It can also help us make time for personal projects and everyday responsibilities that are easy to put off when nobody else knows we intended to do them.

What is body doubling?

Body doubling is closely related to virtual coworking. It describes the practice of having another person present while we work on a task, with their presence helping us stay engaged and accountable. That person might be sitting beside us in person or joining us remotely through an online session.

The other person does not necessarily need to help with our work, offer advice or even speak much at all. They simply provide a sense of company and shared focus. We might agree on what we want to accomplish, work quietly for a set period and then check in on how things went.

For example, we might ask a friend to join a video call while we finally tackle a difficult piece of paperwork. They could be studying, answering emails or working on their own project. We are not completing the same task, but we are creating an environment in which both of us have a reason to stay focused.

Body doubling is often discussed in relation to difficulties with attention, task initiation and procrastination. Some people find it particularly helpful when they struggle to get started, manage distractions or maintain momentum. However, it is not limited to any particular group of people. Many of us can benefit from having someone alongside us when motivation is low or a task feels overwhelming.

Virtual coworking and body doubling overlap considerably. We can think of body doubling as the support provided by another person's presence, while virtual coworking is one way of creating that shared working environment online. Both offer a simple alternative to relying on willpower alone.

Why does working alongside other people help us focus?

There is something reassuring about knowing that other people are working towards their own goals at the same time as us. We can still work independently, but the experience feels more connected. Instead of facing a task on our own, we share a little of the effort with others.

There are several reasons why this can make a difference.

1. It makes getting started easier

Starting is often the hardest part of a task. We might know exactly what needs doing, yet still find ourselves putting it off. The task feels too big, we are unsure where to begin or we simply cannot summon the motivation to get going.

Making a commitment to join a coworking session can give us a clear starting point. We have decided when to begin and know that someone else will be there. Instead of waiting until we feel motivated, we have a small, practical reason to take the first step.

Once we have started, continuing can feel much more manageable. A task that seemed intimidating from a distance may become easier when we break it down and focus on one small part at a time.

2. It creates human accountability

We often make plans that nobody else knows about. We intend to finish a report, go through our finances, revise for an exam or spend an hour on a personal project. When we are the only person who knows about the commitment, it can be easy to postpone it.

Human accountability adds another layer of support. When we tell someone what we intend to work on, we create a commitment that exists beyond our own thoughts. We are more likely to take that intention seriously when another person is sharing the experience with us.

This does not need to involve pressure, judgement or strict supervision. At its best, accountability is about helping one another follow through on what matters. We can acknowledge our intentions, celebrate our progress and be honest when things do not go to plan.

3. It helps reduce procrastination

Procrastination is not always about laziness or a lack of discipline. We might delay a task because it feels uncomfortable, confusing, boring or difficult to complete. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the number of things we need to do. At other times, distractions offer an easy escape from the effort required to make progress.

Working alongside another person can help us interrupt this cycle. We have a reason to begin, a shared period of focus and someone who understands that we are trying to get something done. A task that we might otherwise avoid can become more approachable when we are not facing it alone.

Virtual coworking does not make every task enjoyable, and procrastination will not disappear overnight. It can, however, give us a practical structure for taking action even when we do not feel completely ready.

4. It provides motivation without relying on willpower

Motivation naturally fluctuates. Some days we feel organised and energised, while other days even simple tasks seem to require extra effort. If our productivity depends entirely on feeling motivated, it can be difficult to work consistently.

Virtual coworking provides an external reason to show up, even when our enthusiasm is low. Other people can remind us that progress is possible and that we do not have to feel perfectly motivated before we begin.

We may also find that seeing others concentrate encourages us to do the same. Their presence creates a shared atmosphere of purpose, making it easier to settle into our own work.

5. It makes work feel less lonely

Working remotely, freelancing or studying independently can offer flexibility, but it can also mean spending long periods without meaningful interaction. We may miss the informal encouragement that comes from sharing a workplace with colleagues or being surrounded by people who are working towards their own goals.

Virtual coworking can help fill some of that gap. A brief greeting, a shared goal or a quick conversation at the end of a session can provide a sense of connection without turning focused work into a social event.

That human element matters. Productivity is not just about completing tasks as quickly as possible. It is also about creating sustainable ways to work, feel supported and make progress without becoming isolated.

How to make virtual coworking and body doubling work for us

We do not need an elaborate system to start benefiting from virtual coworking. A few simple habits can help us make the experience useful, comfortable and easy to repeat.

Choose one clear intention

Before a session begins, we can decide what we want to accomplish. Rather than saying that we will work on everything, we can choose a specific task or a manageable next step. For example, we might aim to write the introduction to a report, complete three outstanding emails or spend 25 minutes revising a particular topic.

A clear intention gives us something concrete to return to when our attention wanders. It also makes it easier to recognise progress, even if we do not finish everything we hoped to achieve.

Agree on a realistic period of focus

We do not need to work for hours at a time. A short session can be enough to help us overcome the initial resistance to starting. We might begin with 20 or 25 minutes of focused work, followed by a break or a brief check-in.

The right length depends on the person, the task and the energy available that day. The aim is to create a useful structure, not to push ourselves beyond what is sustainable.

Keep distractions to a minimum

Once we have chosen our task, we can put unnecessary distractions aside. We might silence notifications, close unrelated tabs, prepare what we need before starting and keep our phones out of reach.

Virtual coworking is not about achieving perfect concentration. Our attention will still wander sometimes. The goal is to make it a little easier to notice distractions and return to what we intended to do.

Be supportive rather than judgemental

Human accountability works best when it feels encouraging. We all have days when we struggle, underestimate how long something will take or fail to complete what we planned. These moments are part of the process, not proof that we cannot make progress.

We can support one another by asking what went well, what felt difficult and what might help next time. We do not need to compare our output or judge each other's productivity. We simply need to create a space where showing up and trying matter.

Make it a habit

The benefits of virtual coworking can become more meaningful when we use it regularly. We might schedule a few sessions each week for tasks that we tend to avoid, or establish a routine around a particularly important project.

By linking focused work to a regular time or activity, we can reduce the effort involved in deciding when to begin. Over time, joining a session can become a familiar cue that it is time to concentrate and make progress.

How Focus Together brings human accountability to 95

At 95, we know that setting goals is only part of the challenge. We can make lists, organise our priorities and decide exactly what we want to achieve, yet still struggle to translate those intentions into action.

That is why we are introducing Focus Together, a new feature centred on virtual coworking, body doubling and the power of working alongside other people. We want to help make focused work feel more connected by creating opportunities for shared effort, encouragement and human accountability.

The idea behind Focus Together is simple. We do not always need another productivity hack, another reminder or another way to track what we have not done. Sometimes, we need a person or a group of people to share the moment with us while we do the work.

When we make our intentions visible to others, those intentions can feel more concrete. When we share a period of focus, we have an opportunity to build momentum together. And when we return to our goals with other people around us, we can be reminded that progress is not something we have to achieve entirely on our own.

Focus Together is about people, not pressure

We believe that accountability should help us, not make us feel guilty. There is a difference between feeling pressured to produce more and feeling supported as we work towards something important.

The first can make productivity feel like a test we are constantly failing. The second can help us approach our work with greater confidence and consistency. We want Focus Together to reflect the second approach, where we can show up as we are, work towards our own goals and benefit from being part of a shared experience.

Whether we are building a business, preparing for an exam, managing everyday admin or finally making time for a personal project, the principle remains the same. We can take responsibility for our own progress while recognising that support from other people can make that responsibility easier to carry.

Who can benefit from Focus Together?

Virtual coworking and body doubling can be useful for almost anyone who wants to spend their time more intentionally. Focus Together is relevant to people working from home, freelancers who miss the structure of an office, students tackling assignments, entrepreneurs balancing competing priorities and professionals who need uninterrupted time to concentrate.

It can also be helpful for people who struggle to start tasks, find it difficult to maintain routines or often put important work off until the last minute. Rather than expecting ourselves to solve every productivity challenge through individual effort, we can explore a more social and supportive approach.

We may not all be working towards the same goals, and that is part of what makes virtual coworking so accessible. One person can be studying, another can be writing and someone else can be working through a list of practical tasks. We each bring our own priorities, while sharing the intention to focus and make progress.

Virtual coworking is not about working harder all the time

It is worth remembering that being productive does not mean filling every available minute with work. Rest, breaks and time away from our responsibilities are essential parts of a healthy working routine.

The aim of virtual coworking is not to make us feel that we should always be doing more. It is to help us use the time we have chosen for a particular task in a more intentional way. A focused 25-minute session can be valuable precisely because it allows us to give our attention to one thing before taking a break or moving on to something else.

We should also remember that everyone works differently. Some people enjoy regular check-ins, while others prefer long stretches of quiet concentration. Some people benefit from a familiar accountability partner, while others enjoy meeting different people who are working towards their own goals. The best approach is the one that helps us feel supported and makes it easier to return to our work consistently.

With Focus Together, we are bringing the human side of productivity into the 95 experience. We want to make space for the understanding that good working habits are not built through discipline alone. They are also shaped by our environment, our relationships and the ways we support one another.

Getting started with virtual coworking and body doubling

We do not need to wait until our schedule is perfectly organised or our motivation is at its highest to give virtual coworking a try. We can start with one task we have been avoiding, decide what a realistic amount of progress would look like and set aside a short period to work alongside someone else.

At the end of the session, we can reflect on what we accomplished and what helped us stay focused. Even if we did not finish the entire task, we can recognise the value of having started. We can then decide what our next step will be and whether another session would help us continue.

The more we practise, the more we can learn about the conditions that help us work well. We may discover that a little company makes difficult tasks feel more manageable, that a shared commitment helps us begin sooner or that checking in with another person makes it easier to maintain momentum.

These small changes can add up. We do not need to transform our entire routine overnight. We can build a more supportive approach to work one session, one commitment and one step at a time.

Focus Together: making progress, together

Virtual coworking and body doubling remind us that productivity does not have to be a solitary pursuit. We can work independently without working in isolation. We can take responsibility for our own goals while drawing on the encouragement, presence and accountability of other people.

At 95, we are bringing this philosophy to life through Focus Together. Our new feature is rooted in the belief that people can help people make progress, especially when motivation is low, distractions are tempting or a task feels difficult to begin.

We believe that being accountable does not mean having to do everything alone. It means making meaningful commitments, finding ways to follow through and creating the conditions that help us keep going. Sometimes, one of the most useful things we can do for our focus is to work alongside someone else who is trying to do the same.

Because getting things done is not always about trying harder. Sometimes, it is about showing up together.