# Busy work > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Busy_work > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Busy_work.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_work > Source revision: 1344080969 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Work that creates only an illusion of value This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Busy work" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Chores such as [mopping](/source/Mop) outdoors can be busy work. **Busy work** (also known as **make-work** and **busywork**) is an activity that is undertaken to pass time and stay busy but has little or no actual value. Busy work occurs in business, military, and other settings in situations where people may be required to be present but may lack the opportunities, skills, or need to do something more productive. People may engage in busy work to maintain an appearance of activity to avoid criticism of being inactive or idle. ## Education and work settings The constant processing of [paperwork](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paperwork) can be a form of busy work, particularly in situations when it is a lower priority compared to other tasks. In business and work settings, people may engage in busy work to maintain an [appearance of activity](/source/Presenteeism) to protect their employment status (to avoid [termination](/source/Termination_of_employment) or sanctions).[1] Workers believe it is more important to maintain a constant appearance of working urgently so that they and others believe that what is being done is important. Constant urgency in workers can lead to disproportionate distribution of actual work, as workers may put off essential work by attempting to complete previously designated less critical tasks. Maintaining very high levels of constant busyness may actually be detrimental to the operations of a business or organization in which new tasks are not undertaken in a timely manner because workers are always very busy.[1] That can also lead to workers taking shortcuts to accomplish tasks more quickly, which can negatively affect the quality of work results.[1] Busy work also can be counterproductive in work settings because it may not be aligned with the overall objectives and priorities of an organization's plans for attaining and maintaining success in its ventures.[2] The assumption that activity in the workplace is more important than productivity in the workplace can lead to employees thinking that quantity of work is better than quality of work. This is not productive to the overall functioning of a business. ## See also - [Education portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Education) - [Business and economics portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Business_and_economics) - *[Bullshit Jobs: A Theory](/source/Bullshit_Jobs)*, a 2018 book by anthropologist David Graeber - [Parkinson's law](/source/Parkinson's_law) - [Boondoggle](/source/Boondoggle) - [Handwaving](/source/Handwaving) - [Make-work job](/source/Make-work_job) - [Pastime](/source/Hobby) - [Presenteeism](/source/Presenteeism) - [Underemployment](/source/Underemployment) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Slack_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Slack_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Slack_1-2) (2001) [Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency - Tom DeMarco - Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=3AuP7HV14SYC) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Kotter, John (January 19, 2012). ["Why Busy Work Doesn't Work"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/01/19/why-busy-work-doesnt-work/). *Forbes Magazine*. Retrieved September 1, 2012. ### Sources - (1909) [Education by doing: occupations and busy work for primary classes – Anna Johnson – Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=IP8VAAAAYAAJ) - [USATODAY.com - Be sure 'busy work' isn't keeping you from growing your business](https://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/edmunds/2006-04-11-busy-work_x.htm) - (2012) [Why Busy Work Doesn't Work - John Kotter](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/01/19/why-busy-work-doesnt-work/) ## External links - The dictionary definition of [*busy work*](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/busy_work) at Wiktionary --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Busy work](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_work) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_work?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.