paper shuffling
Pointless office tasks
Paper shuffling is bureaucratic busywork—the moving of documents from one place to another without accomplishing anything meaningful.
The term suggests endless forms, approvals, and administrative processes that create the appearance of productivity while achieving little: The project stalled in six months of paper shuffling.
Someone dismissively called a paper shuffler handles routine clerical tasks rather than substantive work.
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- deskFurniture for writing
- desk jobSeated indoor employment
- filingStoring documents systematically
- filing cabinetFurniture for organized papers
documents · tedious · sorting · inbox · clerk · administrative · office drone · rustling · piles · busywork · busy work · going through the motions · office · stacking · monotony · forms · organizing · red tape
- bureaucracybureaucracy, bureaucrat, bureaucrats, red tape, civil service
- time wastingprocrastinating, procrastination, dawdling, dithering, puttering
- mismanagementmishandling, dysfunction, misuse, incompetence, inefficiency
- runaroundsexcuses, stalling, avoidance, deflection, misdirection
paper shufflingmeaningful work
Labor with significance
value creation · productive labor · getting things done · making a difference · creative work
paper shufflingdirect action
Confrontational political tactics
fieldwork · building · creating · execution · implementation
paper shufflinggetting things done
Accomplishing tasks effectively
taking action · execution · making progress · accomplishment · productivity
paper, shuffling, papers, papered, papering, paperwork, papery, shuffle, shuffled