Amount of work would also vary by season, region and status. There’s bones that get dug up of people who physically fell apart from overwork, basically, if they were slaves or it was just a really rough period. It is true it could be light some times and places, though.

One thing they didn’t have were schedules. Tardiness to meetings was measured in days, and IIRC a Greek philosopher is on record listing them as a form of aestheticism, like flagellation or starving yourself. Hunter gatherers also benefited from doing work we naturally find appealing, and not necessarily having to deal with coercive authority of any kind.