I get what OP is saying with something like "... having to be "present" with nothing to actually do but make some some BS stuff to appear busy." and once was in

I get what OP is saying with something like "... having to be "present" with nothing to actually do but make some some BS stuff to appear busy." and once was in a similar situation for a brief period. What I ended up doing was completely focusing on my own development. Using my time to explore technologies, tools and ideas that I was interested in. It really boosted my skillset and I was able to leverage that to improve my career. Once I was in the correct mindset it was liberating... I was being reasonably well paid to explore and teach myself whatever I liked.