The Art of Looking Busy (While Doing Absolutely Nothing)

 

You know that moment when you’re sitting at work, scrolling through your phone, and suddenly your boss walks by? Instinct kicks in, and you immediately start typing aggressively like you’re solving the world's greatest mystery. Boom! You just mastered the art of looking busy.

I’ve been a professional "busy" person for years. Need to avoid doing dishes? Just stare intensely at your laptop and mumble something about “deadlines.” Need to skip a family chore? Walk around the house holding a notebook and sigh dramatically. The key is confidence—if you believe you’re busy, everyone else will too.

But beware! This skill has risks. One time, I nodded along to a work call without listening, only to realize I had agreed to lead a meeting. (Spoiler: It did not go well.) Another time, I "looked busy" while online shopping, and my screen auto-refreshed to a giant picture of a cat in sunglasses—right when my manager walked by.

Moral of the story? Looking busy is a skill, but maybe, just maybe… we should actually do some work too. 

(Or at least get better at faking it.)