Life during lockdown: days of sweats and snacks, all blurring together

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 The Big Kahuna

fizkes/iStock(NEW YORK) — Having trouble telling whether it’s Tuesday or Wednesday as you work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic? Wearing the same set of sweats for the third day in a row? You’re not alone.

A new survey of 2,000 adults by OnePoll, commissioned by RXBAR, finds the average person confuses what day of the week it is at least five times a week as they work from home. In fact, 59% of survey respondents filled in the wrong day of the week while completing the poll itself.

The poll offers an interesting snapshot of life in quarantine. If you can’t be bothered to dress for success while working from home, take heart that nearly 75% of respondents say they’ve “given up on real clothes” while at home, and spend most of their time wearing sweats. On the other hand, 22% say dressing as if they were heading to the office helps them maintain a sense of normalcy.

But more significantly, the poll finds 69% of respondents saying they’re having increasingly more difficulty focusing on work tasks as the days at home wear on, with 65% saying staying motivated is proving to be a real challenge.

But we are doing some things to overcome those difficulties: 39% say sticking to a schedule helps maintain a sense of normalcy. Using snacks as a motivator works for 36%, while 34% use a to-do list to keep them on track. Friends and partners help hold 32% accountable, while giving oneself small rewards for finishing tasks works for 31%.

Speaking of snacks, 65% of those polled say they’re eating too much during lockdown, just four percentage points lower than the number of respondents who say they’re attempting to eat healthier snacks to compensate.