>>95872109
>>95872027

Technically, pre-industrial workers often had more flexible time than early industrial factory workers. This allowed them to attend to essential household tasks like repairs and renovations—especially hourly laborers who might skip work occasionally (notoriously on 'Saint Monday'). Employers often provided lunch. Crucially, none of today's labor-saving devices existed; chores like laundry required immense manual effort. While their work was physically demanding, their schedules were generally less rigidly controlled by the clock and their total hours were often lower than during the intensely regimented early Industrial era. "Free time" is a modern concept; their "non-work" time was often filled with vital subsistence tasks.