Stop Trying to Be Productive

After her office announced that it would be going remote, Sara Johnson, 30, who works in philanthropy, created a detailed schedule of all the things she'd do with the extra three hours a day that she would no longer spend commuting. "I sat down last weekend and just felt like I hadn't been maximizing this time that I have that I don't usually have on my hands," she said.

But in the midst of a global pandemic that has upended nearly every facet of modern life, people are finding it harder and harder to get things done.

"It's tough enough to be productive in the best of times let alone when we're in a global crisis," said Chris Bailey, a productivity consultant and the author of " Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction ." "The idea that we have so much time available during the day now is fantastic, but these days it's the opposite of a luxury. We're home because we have to be home, and we have much less attention because we're living through so much."