Editorial
The Gist
- ADHD strengths. Creative fields leverage ADHD traits for innovative thinking and dynamic problem-solving.
- Body doubling. This technique improves focus and productivity for marketing professionals with ADHD.
- Structured focus. Tools like Flow Club help create a supportive, efficient work environment.
In the high-energy world of marketing, where creativity is essential to a successful career, having strong executive function skills and effective time management is just as important.
But what happens when you have ADHD in this field that demands a spirit of imaginative chaos with a strict timeline-focused structure to drive projects forward? Well, you’ve found my professional Achilles heel, and good news — I’ve found a solution to marry the two. Let's take a close look at the concept of body doubling in marketing.
Story Time: When I Realized I Had a Problem
At the beginning of my career, I worked for one of the world's top PR firms, and it showed me that I couldn’t be just “one thing” in these high-performance environments. I was part of a team bringing shelf-stable, candy-flavored milk to market — yes, this was the “protein shake” before the term was invented.
Here my desk was, cluttered with countless different style mini fridges while our team devised the best design to capture media attention. It was a PR creative strategy heaven.
But I remember during a long day my office phone started to ring, and I couldn’t find it amidst the stacks of fridges and paperwork. It was a moment of panic. Then, I longingly glanced at my meticulously organized introverted cubicle mate to see her complete polish. She could “out project manage” anyone within the company and ran a tight ship with output. Of course, she was in the corporate division, so her creativity was limited to the quotes within a press release.
Upon years of reflection, I’m now convinced I was in a reality TV show with HR watching what would happen when a consumer division creative account manager sat four feet away from a corporate department project manager. Bets on who lost it first?
But all jest aside, this experience made me realize that I had to tighten up this spilling-over creative energy and channel a little bit of corporate Megan energy if I wanted to be successful in marketing and public relations. I don’t know many professions that require such a duality within its talent.
Related Article: Are Your Brand Marketing Strategies Outdated?
Embracing ADHD in Marketing
After 20 years in marketing and PR, I’ve made every effort to be a student in how to be as efficient and effective as possible in my daily execution. I’ve read countless books, hired an ADHD coach and taken medication in an attempt to sharpen my skills while managing this condition. I've learned that ADHD traits can be tremendous assets to these teams if managed properly — and communications can create the perfect environment for us to thrive.
This is likely because the dynamic nature of creative fields plays well to the strengths of those who aren't neurotypical, leading many of us to choose these careers. Individuals with ADHD are often excellent at divergent thinking — coming up with numerous ideas from a single starting point — and pushing past conventional boundaries to boost creativity.
Though we are not listed on the top 10 most stressful jobs in the nation, intense pace and tight deadlines are common in the world of advertising, PR and marketing. This can be challenging for anyone, but especially those with ADHD who have a hard time meeting strict deadlines, opting often for wanting more creative exploration. That's where body doubling in marketing comes in.
Related Article: Reverse to Success: Mastering End-Driven Marketing and CX Strategies
CUE: My New Approach
I lucked out when I stumbled upon a new process called body doubling, which has been a game changer for me. Body doubling in marketing and other industries is a working technique where you share your workspace with someone who helps keep you on track. It’s a little like the Hawthorne Effect — but without the research study. It was initially popular within the ADHD community, but is now gaining traction more broadly, thanks to digital tools. Virtual sessions and new software make it possible to mirror the other participants' productivity in real-time.
Related Article: How to Craft a Successful Marketing Automation Strategy
4 Reasons to Try Body Doubling in Marketing
1. Brain Surgeons? I’ll follow them
When I discovered Flow Club, a platform for body doubling, I was immediately impressed by the diversity of professionals it attracted. Besides the brain surgeon who was hosting a session to catch up on paperwork before walking into surgery — that really happened — it attracts an overwhelming number of high-level professionals and entrepreneurs in the fields of advertising, design, marketing, public relations, video editors, artists, journalists — just so many of our people.
Seeing all of these creatives knocking off each item on their task lists — there is a kinship. Plus, brain surgeons make it super cool, too. The bonus, of course, is that I’ve met professionals from all around the world — all there with the sole purpose of working effectively with a cutting-edge tech platform to do so. These are definitely my people!
2. It Gives (Much Needed) Structure
Body doubling in marketing taps into our need for community and structured focus, helping to minimize distractions and channel our energies more productively. For marketing professionals who often juggle multiple projects, it offers a way to concentrate effort and creativity where it’s most needed in time blocking.
3. Verbal Check-Ins = Accountability
Hands down my favorite aspect of body doubling in marketing is the verbal check-ins during sessions, where participants share the specifics of what they are working on for the next chunk of time. This technique provides accountability that’s particularly helpful for someone prone to hyperfocus or losing track of time.
I’ve learned that “time blindness” is a real issue for those with ADHD. Body doubling helps me collect “data” from playing with allocated time segments to see really how effective I can be at certain tasks within a time period. Think Olympic sprinting for the workplace with a coach: your clock, calendar and to-do list! It almost makes a game out of being efficient.
4. Get More Sh*t Done … With a Smile
Since integrating body doubling into my routine, the increase in my productivity has been tangible. One week, I completed 143 tasks, a mix of small actions and significant creative projects, all contributing to my clients’ goals. How do I know this number? Because the software I use emails me each week with the hard number of items checked off my goal list from each session. (Have I mentioned I love data?)
What I didn’t expect to gain from this experiment was that my workday shortened as a result of “flowing,” with me finishing tasks earlier than anticipated because of my better organization and focus. I’ve also been able to really dig into my work by entering “flow,” outputting better creative ideas. Additionally, it’s enhanced my job satisfaction by creating a naturally supportive and positive work environment.
Next Steps?
For those interested in exploring body doubling in marketing further, platforms like Flow Club, Flown and Deepwrk offer varied environments and communities that focus on this incredible process. I recommend trying them out, along with new ones that are emerging often.
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Last Thoughts: Share This technique!
So of course, I wrote this piece while in a body doubling session. It took longer than I had hoped, but I learned what I need to do to optimize my time better. Whether you try it or not, share this information with your HR department (some softwares allow for individual private session hosting — perfect for project teams!) or a colleague who might benefit from gaining a community of diligent workers. And I hope to see you soon in a flow session.
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