[NotVerstappen]

I think most people can thrive in the situation you describe (extreme hard work) as long as they also feel a sense of control. I am at my peak (in productivity and "feeling alive") when 100% of my work hours demand my focus because I have that much to do. When I have a quiet period I get miserable; I can find plenty of my own ideas to work on, but they often feel either futile or wasteful - that part is my own problem. Similarly though, when I have too much to do (ie when I know that working 100% still won't get it done) I become demotivated - after all, it seems that none of these tasks are important enough to get proper scheduling, so why bother sweating over them myself?

Second point: working full-on as you describe can apply to non-employment too. The drive towards working fewer hours (for the same standard of living) is just a direct response to growing wealth inequality and general unfairness in society, not a softening or growing laziness.