going through the motions

Verb

go through the motions (third-person singular simple present goes through the motions, present participle going through the motions, simple past went through the motions, past participle gone through the motions)

1. (idiomatic) To do something in a mechanical, unreflective manner, especially as a matter of routine and without commitment or enthusiasm; to perform a task perfunctorily.
   • Aleck was a Christian from the cradle, and duty and the force of habit required her to go through the motions.1905, Mark Twain, chapter 3, in The $30,000 Bequest