"I set an hour on my cal every day for a home workout. Then I'd be on calls for three hours, then I'd make a homemade breakfast, take a walk at lunchtime, work on something non-screen-related in the evening, cook dinner and go on a run," she said. So far, she admitted, "none of this has stuck."

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 maximi...

Maggie Schuman, 32, is facing that very quandary now that her family is taking part in a Peloton challenge through the workout platform's app.

"Every day everyone sends around a green check mark, and for some reason, now that I have that in my head of this thing I'm supposed to be doing, I...

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 bra...

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...

"We realize now it was a silly thought," Mr. Kyu said. "It's a lot more stressful than I expected."

As the coronavirus outbreak has brought life largely indoors, many people are feeling pressure to organize every room in their h...

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...

"It's like you're underwater," Mr. Hasham said.

Dr. Petersen said having compassion during these times is key. "I think that everyone is coping with this differently, and there's a real tendency to shame people who aren't coping with it the way you are or have different circumstances," she...

"For a lot of Americans, everyone's job is at stake right now whether you thought you were upper middle class, middle or working class, everyone's livelihood is at stake," she said. Right now she is focusing on not allowing her mind to "drift to a place of fear, concern, panic or stress," she sai...

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 informa...

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 consult...