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The following scenario has come up in coaching sessions more times than I can count: A student declares that they know they should do, or feel they want to do, or think they should have done earlier, a certain thing. I consider the word should to be an important "cue word" for my coaching practice, because it signals a potentially productive area of questioning around an action.
First, I might ask the coachee what made them say that they should do, or should have done, this thing. I may also ask what benefit they perceive they would gain from doing it. If through their responses it becomes clear that they see the action as productive and desirable, and it could be handled in the moment in my office, I may then invite them to make it happen: "Would you be willing to do it right now?"
Body doubling— defined as a person doing a task alongside another person also doing some work — is a productivity strategy originally identified back in 1996 as helpful to learners with ADHD. Use of the strategy continues to grow within the context of ADHD support as well as with other types of learners. Although it often stretches out for a longer period of time, a "dash" of body doubling can be a useful ingredient in a coaching session — it has a double benefit of helping the coachee get something handled while also inviting a sense of accomplishment that can fuel additional motivation. I've given students a few minutes mid-session to accomplish tasks such as emailing a professor about a late assignment, submitting an accommodation request for an upcoming exam, posting a document on Canvas, or making an appointment with an advisor or other support staff. I body double for those few minutes, and as they finish, I check in on how they feel about the completion, and see what space their action has opened up for moving forward.
Of course, coachees have agency over their choices, and some students decline the body doubling opportunity. But each time one has taken me up on it, I have only seen positive results — relief from having one less task on their minds, and hope from the evidence that they CAN take action.
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