Sometimes the difficult part of a task is sitting down to begin. A coworking session creates an occasion: meet at a set time, say what you intend to work on, work quietly, and briefly check in at the end.
Focusmate organizes online sessions around this beginning, quiet work period, and closing check-in. The tasks need not be related. One person might write a grant application while another organizes records, each benefiting from an agreed period in which doing the work is the shared activity.
Unlike pair work, participants are not jointly solving the same problem or continuously reviewing one another's output. The relationship supplies presence and a modest commitment to show up. In a physical setting, a library table or reserved room can serve the same purpose.
The format should fit the people involved. Video, background noise, or the sense of being watched can help some people and distract others; privacy may rule out particular tasks. A session can be brief and low-pressure, with permission to change an unrealistic goal. What matters is whether the appointment helps these participants begin and stay with their work without creating an unwelcome sense of surveillance.