’drastic changes’ to daily routines during UK lockdowns | University of Cambridge

Child and mother during lockdown Credit: Charles Deluvio via Unsplash Some spent an extra hour a day on chores and childcare during lockdowns, while others got an added daily hour of solo leisure time - and most of us reduced time spent on paid work by around half an hour a day. The lockdowns resulted in drastic changes to patterns of time use, disrupting routines and blurring the distinction between work and family life Ines Lee This is according to a new study of "time-use diaries" kept by 766 UK citizens from across the social spectrum during three points in time: the last month of normality, the first lockdown, and the last lockdown in March of this year. Economists from the and Queen Mary University of London collected data that charted time spent on activities during both typical work and nonwork days to map changes to the rhythm of life for millions. The study, published today in the journal PLOS ONE , found marked differences between genders, particularly parents of young children, and that increases in odd working hours and downtime spent alone were detrimental to wellbeing. "The lockdowns resulted in drastic changes to patterns of time use, disrupting routines and blurring the distinction between work and family life," said co-author Dr Ines Lee from Cambridge's Faculty of Economics. "We have hopefully seen the end of lockdowns, but our study holds lessons for hybrid working, as splitting time between home and office becomes more common." "Employers should promote better work-life balance in the post-pandemic world.