💼 The Art of Looking Busy

Because pretending is half the job.

Somewhere between your first “quick catch-up” and your tenth “urgent but not really” task, you learned one of corporate life’s greatest survival skills — the art of looking busy.
Not to be confused with being productive — no, this is a performance. A lifestyle. A quiet rebellion disguised as professionalism.

1. The performance of productivity

Looking busy isn’t lying — it’s strategy.
You’ve just learned that if you walk fast, type with purpose, and sigh dramatically while staring at your screen, people assume you’re doing something important.
It’s workplace camouflage — and it works every time.

2. The toolkit of a professional faker

• The Excel Mirage: Always keep one complex-looking spreadsheet open. Bonus points if it has a colorful graph.

• The “Headphones On” Defense: Universal code for “Do not disturb (even though I’m just scrolling).”

• The Slack Typing Trick: Type a few dots in the chat, then vanish. Creates mystery and respect.

• The Desk Stare: Look deep in thought while secretly planning your weekend.

3. How to master the illusion

🧠 Switch windows fast. You’re not lazy — you’re “multitasking.”
📞 Always look annoyed. The busier you look, the less work you get.
💅 Perfect the walk: Coffee cup in hand, AirPods in, eyes glazed but determined.
🎭 Schedule fake meetings: Because sometimes, you just need an hour of silence and plausible deniability.

4. The SayLess truth

The art of looking busy isn’t laziness — it’s self-preservation.
When every day feels like a circus, you learn to protect your sanity one fake spreadsheet at a time.
So next time someone asks, “Got a minute?” — just smile and say,
“Sorry, I’m swamped.”