chase your tail
/tʃeɪs jɔːr teɪl/
Meaning
To 'chase your tail' means to spend a lot of time and energy doing a lot of things, but achieving very little or making no progress. It comes from the image of a dog running in circles trying to catch its own tail. It is commonly used in busy workplaces to express frustration about unproductive busyness.
Examples
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I've been chasing my tail all morning responding to minor emails instead of working on the main project.
I've been chasing my tail all morning responding to minor emails instead of working on the main project.
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Without a clear strategy, the marketing team is just chasing their tails.
Without a clear strategy, the marketing team is just chasing their tails.
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I feel like I'm chasing my tail trying to get approval from three different managers.
I feel like I'm chasing my tail trying to get approval from three different managers.
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We spent the entire meeting chasing our tails because nobody could agree on the budget.
We spent the entire meeting chasing our tails because nobody could agree on the budget.
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Stop chasing your tail with those administrative tasks and focus on closing the sales.
Stop chasing your tail with those administrative tasks and focus on closing the sales.
Common Mistakes
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✗ He is running his tail.
✓ He is chasing his tail.
The correct verb is 'chasing', not 'running'. The idiom refers to a dog chasing its tail.
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✗ I chased my tail and finally finished the report.
✓ I spent all day chasing my tail and didn't even start the report.
Chasing your tail implies that no progress was made. You cannot use it to describe a situation where you successfully completed a task.
Related Expressions
Practice
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I've been ___ all afternoon trying to fix this software bug without any luck.
💡 Think of a dog running in circles to catch itself.
Show answer
chasing my tail
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Without a clear plan, you will just end up ___ instead of making real progress.
💡 Idiom meaning to be busy but unproductive.
Show answer
chasing your tail