a freaking hero. Don't do this too much though, or else it will backfire on you -- it's great to be known as the guy in the office who's always on top of his email, especially when no one else you work with is, but like everything else you need to walk the line between this being a badge of honour versus an expectation. In the same vein, make use of scheduled sends, such as telling Microsoft Outlook to delay sending messages until a certain time, or services like previously mentioned ToutApp , Right Inbox , and a service we love , Boomerang , to schedule your messages and track when they've been opened. This way you can write in advance, send a couple of replies super-late at night and earn the prestigious "overtime" award. Again, don't make it a habit -- just enough that when you do it, people sit up and say "wow, he was up answering emails at 1am/5am?" Stretch Your Boundaries The best thing about looking busy is that it gives you the freedom to work at your own pace. That means that when you don't want to work or don't have to work, you can do what you want -- as long as you're looking busy. If you've picked up a side project, spend some time working on that, if for nothing else but inspiration. Working on something else or taking a break to do something really refreshing will give you energy when it's time