flogging a dead horse
- beatingRepeated striking or pulsing
- futileIncapable of producing results
- pointlessLacking any purpose
- wastedUsed without good result
- effortApplied energy toward goals
hopeless · persistence · stubborn · useless · exhausted · fruitless · dead-end · worn-out · tiresome · repetitive · nagging · insistence · relentless · quit · surrender · buried · carcass · whip
productive effort
flogging a dead horsemaking hay while the sun shines
Capitalizing on favorable circumstances
bearing fruit · paying dividends · gaining traction · making headway · moving the needle
timeliness of action
flogging a dead horsecarpe diem
Grasp the present moment
ahead of the curve · timely · opportune · well-timed · in the nick of time
acceptance of reality
flogging a dead horseletting go
Releasing one's grasp
moving on · turning the page · facing facts · reading the room · adapting