Is there an English equivalent of this common Maldivian Proverb meaning "to do something carelessly or perfunctorily"?

The proverb is "Amaa buneethee fara-h dhiy-un" which basically translates to "To walk along the shore (the point of which is to collect cowrie shells which were used as currency among seafarers and residents around the Indian Ocean), just because his/her mother had instructed him to do so ie. carelessly, aimlessly, in a poor attempt... etc?

Some decades ago, it had been common practise to do this daily, and it was often the case that kids sent to do this chore often wandered around aimlessly or played about and returned with barely any shells or none at all, certainly less than someone who had actually attempted to do so.

Cheers!

Solution 1:

It's not a proverb, but there is this idiomatic phrase:

go through the motions

which NOAD defines as:

go through the motions do something perfunctorily, without any enthusiasm or commitment; simulate an action: a child goes through the motions of washing up.

Collins says:

go through the motions to act or perform the task (of doing something) mechanically or without sincerity

and CDO:

go through the motions to do something without thinking it is very important or having much interest in it: He says he's been investigating my complaint, but I feel he's just going through the motions.

Too bad this simple phrase doesn't have the rich imagery of the Maldivian proverb, but it does align with a mood of carelessness, aimlessness, and a shiftless attempt at accomplishing an assigned task. It might be worth note that CDO tags the phrase with a disapproving tag, indicating that it's not meant to be used as a compliment.

Solution 2:

One colloquial phrase would have the person 'phoning it in', the implication being that she couldn't be bothered to show up in person.

As explained in the urban dictionary.