Organizing is an activity that many people find difficult to do on their own. The process of weeding and sorting through paperwork is simply too overwhelming. This is why social organizing, also known as body doubling, works so well for individuals who are challenged with paper clutter.
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What is body doubling? Body doubling is when a professional organizer (or friend or family member) sits quietly, perhaps facilitating by silently handing pieces of paper to the client or maybe filing the paper that’s been sorted. It can be especially helpful with maintenance work. Skills aren’t necessarily being transferred, but work is being accomplished that would not be accomplished without the silent partner.
Why does body doubling work? There are a few possible explanations. The simplest is that the body double serves as a physical anchor for the distracted individual who feels more focused by the presence of another person in their space. The distracted person feels responsible to and for the body double. This perception translates as–I can’t waste this gift of time.
Another explanation might be that body doubling serves as a kind of mirror– a calm reflection for the individual with chronic disorganization of how his/her over-stimulated mind and body would like to be at the moment. The body double thus becomes a model of control and a mirror confidently reflecting back the message: I can concentrate. I am working. I am focused.
Let’s look at another possibility that has to do with energy. In Eastern cultures, energy is referred to as chi (or qi) and is viewed as being either in or out of balance in the human body, as well as, in the surrounding environment. Feng Shui is the art of balancing positive and negative chi in the space around us, with the goal of optimizing healthy energy in one’s living and working space.
What does chi have to do with body doubling? The body double might be a chi balancer or protective barrier helping to contain and calm the energy in and around the individual with clutter. The body double might also be a buffer against distracting energy from the outside, ready to bombard the vulnerable and the disorganized.
Whichever explanation you prefer, there’s no denying the effectiveness of body doubling for the person with paper clutter. By the way, body doubling can be just as effective virtually as in person. For more information on how to conquer paper clutter, visit patriciadiesel.com