stop chasing (one's) (own) tail

To stop doing things that prove ineffectual or do not lead to progress. A reference to how a dog can exhaust itself by chasing its own tail. Come on, Bill, stop chasing your tail and go get some sleep. You will have a better chance of a breakthrough if you take a break from the research for a little while. This administration would be better off if it stopped chasing its own tail and focused instead on more practical policies that actually have a chance of getting passed in Congress.