What is the Presence Contract Cycle?
The Presence Contract Cycle is an editorial decision aid created by Gear Up to Grow. It organizes the evidence behind one practical problem into a repeatable sequence. It is a thinking and planning tool, not a validated diagnostic or treatment instrument.
Gear Up to Grow original insight
The body double should reduce decisions, not add social performance. The highest-value interaction often occurs in the first and last two minutes; the middle can remain quiet, task-specific, and low-demand.
How to apply the Presence Contract Cycle
- Contract for two minutes: Each person states one task, the first visible action, session length, camera or audio choice, interruption rules, and what must remain private.
- Work in bounded parallel presence: Start together, keep interaction at the agreed level, and use a visible timer or scheduled endpoint. Write a resume note if interrupted.
- Close with facts and next action: Each person reports what was completed, what remains, and the next physical action. Schedule another session only when it serves the work.
When to use it
Use it when: task initiation or sustained attention stalls and a low-demand co-presence structure can provide external cueing without social pressure.
Avoid treating it as: a replacement for clinical ADHD treatment; it is a work-support arrangement, not therapy.
Claim review
Claim reviewed: Body doubling works because another person regulates the ADHD brain.
Rating: Not established. Users report several plausible mechanisms — accountability, co-presence, cueing, reduced isolation — but current evidence does not identify one confirmed neural mechanism or a guaranteed treatment effect.
Where it comes from
The Presence Contract Cycle is introduced and used in detail in the guide “Virtual Body Doubling for ADHD.” This page is a standalone reference for the framework itself; the parent guide explains the full protocol it belongs to.
Related frameworks and guides
Educational content — not medical, legal, or financial advice. Reviewed by Alexios Papaioannou, editor of Gear Up to Grow.