It was the first realization of how strange our human "work schedule" is when we worked in horticulture. Thousands of years ago, during the agricultural revolution, our ancient ancestors began to settle down slowly, and schedules were hardly schedules at all. Before that, we had hunting and gathering as needed according to the seasons and physical nourishment.
We lived by the cycles of nature, and productivity was limited by the whims of the natural world: sunlight, seasons, daily weather patterns, and geographical landscapes. However, as we moved to cities, built trains and airplanes, developed electricity, and tried to automate productivity with rapidly expanding technology.
I worked in a 9 to 5 environment for about 5 years, during which I often felt constrained. Almost 8 years ago, after higher education, I was a student and a part-time shift worker, mostly building my own schedule.
As a graduate student, I worked 40 hours a week between my studies, worked as a teaching assistant, and in other jobs, but I felt a sense of control over my schedule and time. In a way, it was refreshing. If I didn't write well in the morning, I could finish my paper at night. If I was sick or had too much brain fog, I could double my efforts the next day. That freedom was something I took for granted, and most of us are not so lucky (unless we are freelancers or have work contracts).
Productivity-less: The Loss of Nature
Taking scientific materialism, adding capitalism, Protestant work ethic, and various technologies and automation creates a perfect recipe for diminishing humanity in productivity.
As I wrote in a series about the cult of productivity, we have twisted our relationship with work to the point of harming ourselves, society, and the planet. Yet, it seems we cannot avoid the traps. The necessity of our unspoken social contract and the need to earn enough money to survive hinders our ability to actively challenge the status quo.