Already burned out by politics in 2025? Here’s your simple plan to get back in the game, and stay in it.

It’s usually not by being hard-nosed.

It’s certainly not by picking fights.

It’s almost always about being a compassionate human, a credible expert, and a consistent voice.

That’s how you move the needle in American politics by building one relationship at a time.

The first half of 2025 is in the rearview mirror. And there’s a stark line separating those who are helping their causes and those who have already burned out.

I’ve strategically paused my writing over the past 8 months. Like you, I spent the end of 2024 digesting what the November general election results could mean for my policy issues in 2025. I spent time thinking through the new players, and what we could expect to happen. I listened to pundits and wonks and asked for their best guesses. One thing was clear on all fronts: it was going to be busy.

What followed from that clarity was a realization that a lot of volunteer advocates would struggle to keep up. I don’t have that option as a professional advocate. I don’t have the choice. To put bread on my table, I knew I’d need more focus and stamina than ever.

To meet that need, I had to create space for myself. That meant that before I could talk about what I was doing in 2025, I had to be about it. Hence my long hiatus from posting here or on my social channels.

Starting in November, I began trekking all over the country working my craft. Listening to clients about their concerns. Strategizing with colleagues on who and when to engage. And meeting with legislators in their home districts and in Washington, DC to talk through energy, tax, trade, regulatory, transportation, infrastructure and appropriations issues. Frankly, I feel a lot like Matt Damon at the end of Saving Private Ryan when his character famously morphs from a young soldier to an old veteran over just a few frames.

I tell you this to remind you that the whiplash-induced exhaustion you’re feeling is perfectly normal. Even those who get paid to advocate are feeling the drain of a frenetic time.

Predictably, this cycle has forced many advocates into a reactionary mode. President Trump’s key advisors told us it would be this way when they said their strategy would be to flood the gap by feeding the media machine like never before. They’ve certainly delivered on that promise.

As I’ve sprinted alongside advocates throughout the year though, I’ve tried to keep one message clear for the people I work with: stay the course.

In political advocacy, your issue is your issue regardless of the climate. The flip side of that though means the news stories that aren’t your issue remain not your issue. They may be important, but in many ways chasing the news of the day prevents us all from keeping the main thing, well, the main thing.

Burnout is a real obstacle for activists. It’s difficult to keep your motivation high, especially when the system affords you so few opportunities for the dopamine hit that comes from measurable success. When we gauge our wins based off of bills passed or votes won, there’s not much to keep our tanks full.

What 2025 requires from us is a more disciplined approach. One less dependent on our motivation, and more on our perseverance.

If you’re a volunteer advocate, it’s not your day job. It’s not the work you do day in, and day out, to pay the bills. For you, keeping a pulse on political news is exhausting enough, but then taking the time to write a letter or make a phone call just doesn’t seem worth it. You can’t rely on the same motivators I can. You need something else. So what should you do right now?

Tap into the most local way your passion can be ignited. Focus on becoming an expert in your daily work. Focus on building credibility first. Give yourself the space to BE ABOUT IT. Care about hunger? Find the work closest to home that feeds people. Care about protecting children? Guess what – there are careers and service opportunities right here at home that aren’t waiting for crises to be solved at the speed of government.

It’s those real world experiences that will serve a double duty in your life. They’ll feed your motivation, and they’ll equip you with real, impactful stories.

Ask a member of Congress and they’ll probably tell you that personal stories are helpful in digesting complex issues. But those same legislative leaders will say that it’s difficult for them to gather all the information they need on how tough policy choices will impact their districts. They don’t have credible people showing up to share meaningful information. That’s where you come in.

Your most important work at this stage of 2025 is actually preparing yourself to keep working on your issues in 2026. That won’t come about magically. Now is the time you need to be building your own stories and developing concrete information on your issues. Because next year you will still need to be credible. And consistent. And compassionate. So here’s your plan:

1. Rest a bit. Read a good book. Get to the beach. Do what you can to break yourself away from the 24-hour news cycle. Because you need to be tied back into the reasons you got involved in the first place. That’s much harder to do when you’re distracted by the scrum of daily political news. Remember your humanity and you’ll likely show up more humanely to the people you’re trying to influence.

2. Build your portfolio. Do what you do best. In your trade, as a volunteer, wherever your work serves the issues you care about. Focus on doing it well for the next six months. Be fully about the work. Because that’s where you’ll earn your stories that matter to those in a position to decide the big issues.

3. Make a plan. Join a trade association. Hook into a non-profit. Whatever. But start building out a plan for how you will show up at least once per month for the cause you care about in 2026. Sometimes that will mean writing an email to an elected official. Sometimes that could be calling or visiting their office. But have a set of goals for how often you’ll go the extra mile others won’t – and stick to it. That will only increase your chances for getting the information you own to the people who need to understand it. Organized advocacy teams can help you work realistically in a challenging system, so use them.

That’s really it.

That’s what I’ve done in 2025. I took a break from some things that weren’t the main thing. I focused HARD on the immediate craft, and building information that mattered. And throughout the year, I’ve kept a rhythm for my engagement by leaning on strong teams.

On a scale that’s right for you, the same basic plan will work. It’ll help you build credibility. It will help you stay consistent. Then you can be the good person they need to hear from.

And they do need to hear from you. Or they’re going to hear from someone else.