go around in circles
Make no progress
To go around in circles is to make no progress towards a goal or to fail to achieve a desired outcome.
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- spinning wheelsFiber-twisting textile devices
- chasing tailFruitless self-defeating activity
- aimlessHaving no direction
- futileIncapable of producing results
dog chasing tail · going nowhere fast · ineffective · treading water · running in place · redundant · vain · unproductive · beating dead horse · cyclical · pointless · same old same old · gyre · hamster wheel · Ouroboros · lap · stuck in a rut · back to square one
progress and direction
go around in circlesmake headway
Achieve forward momentum
make progress · move forward · advance · forge ahead · gain ground
efficiency and productivity
go around in circlesget things done
stay focused · zero in · streamline · optimize · nail it
around, round, rounds, rounded, rounding, rounder, roundest, roundly, roundness