@CarmenSanfrancisco
If there is a task I know I am going to really enjoy, then I volunteer for it regardless of whether I think people will notice or not.
With other tasks, I try to do the following:
Make sure I am not just doing things for one person, but spread my time out among several people. Not putting all eggs in one basket. One person will mention your name once, if you are lucky. Several people gives you better chance of your name popping up several times.
If I know there is someone who likes to pass of my work as their own, I try to avoid their tasks, and I spend less effort or I find a way to deprioritize.
If the work is just one of those really dull things that just have to be done, I still try to organize regular check in calls or send bulleted update emails where appropriate. People still appreciate the update and i jazz up the results just by how I word them. Not describing it as, well I've been working on xyz as usual, but instead, I have some good news, we had xyz number of this in this month and they were all completed on time. There was a problem with xyz, but I solved it by xyz, which could be useful for the team in future. All true, just better presentation of the work.
If I feel unchallenged by a task, I try to find a junior who might find it interesting and get them involved. They appreciate being mentored and some additional responsibility and it is a good way to be seen as a leader. Hogging all of the work to yourself just uses extra energy and people actually dislike it. They don't value the effort you put in if you are always doing it alone.
If I feel stressed and like I'm coming off as an antisocial bitch because I don't have time for a meeting or a quick chat to listen to someone, I take a massive look at my todos and see what can go. If nothing can, I send an email to let the team know and see if they have any ideas on how to help. If they don't, I apologize for delayed responses over the next few weeks and start to say no to things, or ask for longer deadlines. If you don't tell people when you are busy, they will never know.
I always try to find 3 minutes before a meeting to write down the most important things I need to say. If someone has a question and I know the answer then I will try to jump in. But if it isn't relevant I just keep quiet, try not to jabber on and over talk in meetings so whatever I say is of value, otherwise people stop listening.
Finally, I always keep a reserve for the days or weeks to work like hell when something seriously goes wrong and it needs fixing. Whether it's my problem or not, if I realize this is a major problem I will work through the night to help everyone if I can fix it. It's an exception and I will take it easy once there is time to mentally compensate. Again I make sure the important people know i fixed it by scheduling a call to share the lessons learned.
But the key takeaway is if you are working on something and nobody cares or notices, then you need to either present them better or you need to find a way to drop that task and swap it for another.
If you really truly love what you are doing, then you are basically being paid for your hobby. In which case, recognition can take second. If you love what you do, you have hit the jackpot.