The person asking about progress deserves facts instead of a performance of busyness.

Being asked where things stand sets off a defense, and the defense usually takes the shape of describing effort: how much has been going on, how full the week was. Effort is not progress, and whoever asked can generally hear the difference. What they wanted was something they could plan around.

Next time the question comes, answer with three things: what is finished, what is not, and when the rest will be. Add the bad news first if there is any, and skip the account of how busy you have been.