Can I Say Something: I'm Burned Out

I’ve worked in policy, think tanks, and advocacy for most of my career. Before that, it was tech — which was, honestly, pretty low-key and reasonably meritocratic. People were mostly normal. Amiable, even.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being in the world of ideas. I love that my job is to read policy papers, legislation, and legal briefs and translate them into normal-person English. I love ghostwriting. I love seeing my clients’ names in headlines.

Truly.

But politics — and even policy — is a circus.

The post–Oct. 7 fundraising gold rush. The endless inter-conservative Twitter fights over foreign policy, trade, “family policy”— should people get more votes if they have more kids?!. It’s exhausting to watch. More exhausting because so much of it doesn’t move the needle.

Perhaps the loudest will win the latest Twitter rage-war. But the strongest and most strategic will shape policy.

The people doing the yeoman’s work — filing strong lawsuits, drafting serious policy, moving the needle quietly — keep their heads down. Because they know that mud-slinging and dopamine farming cost them long-term credibility.

I like my work. But the cycle is tiring.

If you’re feeling it too, now is the time to double down on your brand. Everyone is looking left, so look right…

• Pitch a long form article to a reach publication

• Maybe even try sending a paper newsletter

• Organize a thoughtful in-person roundtable

• Draft that mini e-book you’ve always dreamed of

The horrors persist. But integrity lasts.