I grew up working
Me too - first "outside the home" job at age 10 in the local apple orchard (at least back then, farm labor was allowed at almost any age, within limits).
>>'Puritan Work Ethic' I'm sure a picture of my mom & dad...
Not dissimilar. My dad worked two full-time jobs most of my childhood until I was about 13.
>>constantly thinking about the best time management
Again, not dissimilar, including applying functional programming concepts to folding the laundry (essentially, recursion) and thinking about efficiency for all sorts of activities.
BUT... I place a really high value on down time, time in nature, time where my mind is free to roam. I also believe that this is a key to productivity FOR ME (not trying to say what works for others).
I've pretty much always felt this way. I think I spent less time studying than my peers in college who got similar grades, mostly by working when I work, playing when I play (they would often study together in "study groups" that were great for socializing and terrible for studying). I know I spent less time working in grad school than most of my peers and I finished with more publications than any of them I can think of. I always felt when I would see my colleagues reading scholarly papers on the treadmill that they were both learning little and getting an inferior workout and, essentially, wasting their time by doing two things at once and not being fully engaged in either.
Many years later, I came across this:
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Were-Working-Isnt-Performance/dp/1451610262The summary version (I haven't watched this, but I assume it's a summary of the book since it's the same title)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smrMWv5rcCoI think he's addressing something slightly different that what you're saying RC. I get what you're saying (I think)- if you can switch between a high-intensity activity that's "work" and a low-intensity activity that is "fun" but productive, it's a double win.
There are plenty of times I've wished I were more like that... but a man's got to know his limitations!
For me, though, time to let my mind wander is key to being productive in the long run. It's a lot of why I really enjoy solitary running and dislike exercise classes.... speaking of which... I have 1:15 to go wander aimlessly in the woods before my next meeting. I better get going ;-)