Disengaged From Planning During the Lockdown? An Interview Study in an Academic Setting

This article reports the results of a repeated interview study with 15 knowledge workers in academia during first COVID-19 lockdown (April–July 2020). The focus these interviews was to understand how people adjusted working from home and impact this had on their planning routines, strategies, use tools. Common themes reveal that work chaotic, participants lost focus, felt overworked tired. Many disengaged routines were reluctant plan detail. However, those who reflected efficiently they spending time, found two strategies—breaking down tasks manual time tracking—effective at improving accuracy plans productivity. Participants did not start using any new tools instead adapted existing ones. Design implications for context future prevention disengagement are discussed.