Looking busy and being useful look the same from far away. Up close, people can tell.

From across a room, movement reads as contribution, so looking busy and being useful are impossible to tell apart at that distance. Up close the difference is obvious, and the people up close tend to be the ones whose view of your work actually matters: your shift lead, your teammates, whoever ends up finishing what you left. A performance only ever convinces the far audience.

On your next shift or group project, ask what would genuinely help and do that instead of what looks diligent. Check it with one person who works beside you. The useful version is quieter and lasts longer.