Exactly my thoughts. Mere clothes washing was a full day activity. Go to the well, bring water. Chop wood for heating. Milk cow, tend to chickens. Fix the fence

Exactly my thoughts. Mere clothes washing was a full day activity. Go to the well, bring water. Chop wood for heating. Milk cow, tend to chickens. Fix the fence... All this coupled with less then abundant available calories, and the slow paced work does paint a different picture. Maybe they were not that relaxed, but slow paced work came from the necessary energy conservation?