Once upon a time I was appointed to the position of senior planning manager for a big shipping line, one with real ships and tugs. Soon after I joined the firm, with my ego still bloated, I entered the elevator carrying a stack of documents.

There stood the Chief Operating Officer. He looked at me, looked at the documents, and said, “I see you’ve already figured out that the way to look busy is to carry papers around.”

My ego deflated, but my wisdom inflated. Lesson learned.

Now with leaves falling and my wife complaining about untidy Mother Nature, I know exactly what to do. Look busy.

Over years of fake busyness, I have learned three other lessons. One, it is hard work to look busy. Two, it is much harder to look busy at home.

And three, it is much, much harder to fool your spouse than your boss.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.