How To Master The Art Of Looking Busy Looking busy without being busy isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes you have to look busy so you can actually work on the things that matter. Here's how to trick others into believing you've got a full plate so you'll get the breathing room to actually get things done. Title image made using minoru suzuki (Shutterstock). The point of looking busy is to remind your boss and your coworkers that your time is valuable, that there are only so many things you can work on at once, and to give you some breathing room so you can actually think . In short, looking busy reminds everyone that you are busy, and gives you some freedom at the same time. Whether you use that freedom for valuable brainstorming or wasting time on your favourite tech blog is a choice we leave to you. In this post, we'll walk through some way to make sure everyone you talk to -- whether it's your boss or a distracting coworker -- knows that you're busy without you beating them over the head with the fact. A few of these tips may seem counterproductive, but stick with us; we'll explain why it all works. Let's get started. Tackle The Big Wins First The first thing you need to do is determine the difference between what's important and what's urgent . Let me offer up this checklist that I like to go through whenever I'm confronted with something