Deskmate: a free body doubling app

Some tasks only get done when someone else is in the room. Deskmate is a virtual body double: tell it what you're working on, press start, and a quiet companion sits down and works next to you until the timer ends.

Start a session — free

Runs in your browser. No account, no video call, no one watching you. Your history stays on your device.

What is body doubling?

Body doubling is doing a task while someone else is present and working too. It's one of the most common ADHD focus strategies: starting is easier, drifting off is rarer, and the hour passes with something to show for it. The other person doesn't help with your task and doesn't need to talk — they just have to be there.

Virtual body doubling without strangers

Body doubling websites usually pair you with another person on camera. That works for some people and is exactly the thing that stops others from starting. Deskmate keeps the part that helps — the feeling that someone is working with you right now — and drops the video call. Your deskmate starts when you start, checks in quietly at the halfway point, reminds you when five minutes are left, and asks what you got done at the end.

Use it for anything you keep putting off

• Studying and homework — a study buddy for 25 or 50 minute blocks.
• Cleaning and chores — body doubling for cleaning works the same way: pick 15 minutes and start together.
• Work from home — emails, reports, the task that's been open in a tab all week.
• ADHD focus — short sessions, no guilt if you stop early, and a streak that counts days, not perfection.

How a session works

1. Write the one thing you're going to work on.
2. Pick 15, 25, 50 or 90 minutes and a background sound: rain, brown noise or pink noise.
3. Work alongside your deskmate. When the time is up, write one line about what you did.

Start body doubling now