Are you really making progress or are you just busy in order to give yourself the illusion of progress?

In the years that I have been in the work force, I have seen many companies reorganize.  In fact, some of them were highly predictable.  Just about the time people settled down and were productive again, the company or department would begin to reorganize -- sometimes as soon as 18 months after the beginning of the last reorganization.

We enjoy having long lists because we can be "busy" and get an endorphin high out of crossing things off our list.  However, at the end of each day, did we make any progress?  Crossing things off the list does not necessarily mean getting results.

I had one of those days yesterday.  I was busy from after breakfast until right before dinner.  Items just flew off my list.  However, when I reviewed my day, I realized that I had made little real progress on some key projects on my plate.  I had rejoiced in my busyness, not in my progress.  The endorphin high that I had at the end of the day gave me a false sense of accomplishment.

Humankind has been struggling with this for thousands, maybe millions, of years.  Verse 12* of the Tao alludes to this busyness at the expense of progress.

"The five colors blind the eye
The five tones deafen the ear
The five flavors dull the palate
Racing, hunting, and galloping about
     only disturb the mind
Wasting energy to obtain rare objects
     only impedes one's growth

So the Sage is led by his inner truth
     and not by his outer eye
He holds to what is deep
     and not what lies on the surface"

*Tao Te Ching, The Definitive Edition, Lao Tzu with Translation and Commentary by Jonathan Star, Jeremy P Tarcher/Penguin, 2001 page 25