busywork

American  

[biz-ee-wurk] / ˈbɪz iˌwɜrk /

noun

1. work assigned for the sake of looking or keeping busy.

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Etymology

Origin of busywork

First recorded in 1840–50; busy + work

Example Sentences

If we kill busywork, we risk forfeiting the epiphanies that sometimes occur while doing easy, repetitive tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal

AI is increasingly doing away with the need to do busywork at work, freeing us up for more important tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Workdays without busywork are closer to reality than ever, thanks to artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

On an individual level, Yee says, people may opt in to occasional busywork to give their brains a break or simply work a little less instead of squeezing every drop of AI-enhanced productivity.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the education front, instead of consulting books and other arcane text to write papers or prepare for exams, some students are offloading that busywork to ChatGPT.

From Salon