“The Illusion Of Progress”

Hudson’s Seafood Restaurant

Hilton Head

May 4, 2026. 530 PM

The above clip came from an email I received today. It reminded me of the important difference between being busy and being productive.

My working at DOE was not rewarding. It was a job to pay the bills. It is where I first heard the expression “the illusion of progress.” We could get very busy at DOE but nothing ever got done. We fooled ourselves into thinking we were being productive while all we were was acting busy.

It’s disappointing to think about my time at DOE. While I helped finance some important projects, it was not a rewarding time for me.