Busy is not diagnostic
Managers hear "busy" from everyone. Useful context sounds more like: this decision is blocked, this project has hidden risk, this scope no longer fits, or this work is draining the wrong battery.
The useful signal is usually already there.
Career systems are still systems. Pull out evidence and everything gets harder to debug.
Bring the ask with the problem
Say what is happening, why it matters, what you tried, and what help would change the outcome. That lets your manager use their different tools.
A clear ask is easier to act on than a weather report.
Escalate early enough to matter
Escalation is not failure. It is routing a problem to the level where it can be solved before it becomes drama.
Flip the switches and watch the story turn into a tiny operating model.
Make help easy to give
Your manager does not need every detail. They need the shape of the problem and the lever only they can pull.