That is what struck me when I read a biography of Abigail Adams. The work never stopped, from planting to cooking to sewing.The producer of the show made an interesting comment afterwards. She was talking about how we view life in the 1600s as being backwards, primitive, crude, etc.
She basically said "our ancestors weren't stupid, they had working systems for everything", basically you can't judge them by our standards today.
Besides the hard work, the other thing that struck me, was the reliance upon one another. Everybody had roles, and if everybody decided they wanted to do their own thing, the place would fall apart. Mrs. Vorhees had a fit when some of the women were complaining about their days off and the work. She was practically screaming "You signed up for this, you have certain responsibilies, you should get over it and deal with them". Some of them viewed this as an extended five month vacation I believe, and didn't want to cook, clean, mend clothes, etc.
The New England colonial concept of community based on the "congregation" of believers is well explored in an excellent history by Peter Marshall, "The Light and the Glory". This series explores the early Christian influence on American History through the Revolution.
Although I don't remember the title, there was a sequel which followed the same theme through the Civil War
Our Bill of Rights, which enshrines the concept of freedom of religious thought, as well as the 19th century abolition movement were outgrowths of the Christian revivals of their respective times. It is ironic that "Christian fundamentalism" today is vilified by those on the Left who benefit most from these "liberal" (Separation of Church & State; Civil Rights & Emancipation) ideals that were championed by the "Christians" of the past.