Stop Trying to Be Productive

This urge to overachieve, even in times of global crisis, is reflective of America's always-on work culture. In a recent article for The New Republic, the journalist Nick Martin writes that "this mind-set is the natural endpoint of America's hustle culture - the idea that every nanosecond of our lives must be commodified and pointed toward profit and self-improvement." Drew Millard put it more directly in an essay for The Outline : If you are lucky enough to be employed, the only person who cares what you're doing right now is your boss.

Anne Helen Petersen, a journalist and the author of the forthcoming book "Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation," seconded his assertion. "We're so used to making every moment of ours productive in some capacity," she said. "Like, I'm on a walk, I should listen to this information podcast that makes me more informed or a better person."

Dr. Petersen said that the impulse to optimize every minute is especially common in millennials , many of whom are now balancing work and child care at home. "I think for millennials, our brains are particularly broken in terms of productivity," she said. "Either you give up or feel bad about it all the time."

Instead, Ms. Schuman has started a gratitude journal and is working on practicing acceptance. "You're supposed to be inventing something or coming up with the next big business idea or doing something great that's going to be worthy of time spent at home," she said. "I'm trying to be more OK with just being."

"Putting all this pressure and stress on myself, it's incredibly counterproductive," said Ms. Ulstrup. "I'm putting stress on myself during a time that's already stressful."

Adam Hasham, 40, a product manager in Washington, said that it's only a matter of time before more people realize that self-optimization in this time is futile. "I stopped seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," he said, adding that his optimism about the situation had "gone out the window."