You’re Energized After No Kings Day 2.0? Let’s Roomba
How to keep doing the work without burning out
If you left No Kings Day 2.0 feeling fired up and ready to take on the world, you’re not alone.
Events like that remind us that we can create change when we show up together. But after the excitement, I always find myself thinking about what comes next.
How do we keep that energy alive without running ourselves into the ground?
That’s when I remembered my Roomba Theory of Sustainable Advocacy, which I should probably trademark before someone else does 😂.
Where this came from
I came up with this analogy during a time when I was doing everything: reading every headline, posting nonstop, saying yes to every opportunity to help. And I still went to bed feeling like I hadn’t done enough.
Eventually, I realized I was pushing myself past the point of usefulness: running on fumes and refusing to stop.
Then one day, I noticed my Roomba doing its thing: quietly, consistently, and without guilt. When its bin was full, it stopped completely. When the battery ran low, it didn’t push through; it just went back to its dock, recharged, and came back later.
And I thought: that’s exactly what I need to learn how to do.
This little robot understood something I didn’t: doing the work well requires stopping, recharging, emptying out, and sometimes calling for backup.
The Roomba Theory of Sustainable Advocacy
1. Know your area
A Roomba doesn’t clean the entire neighborhood. It focuses on one space, the one it’s responsible for.
You don’t have to show up for every issue. You can’t fix the whole world, but you can make a difference in your corner of it. Pick your lane and own it. That’s where your impact multiplies.
2. Empty your bin
When a Roomba’s bin is full, it stops completely.
We should do the same, but instead, we keep trying to push through when we’re overloaded. And that’s when we crash.
The Roomba has it right: pause and clear out the emotional dust. The guilt, frustration, outrage, and fatigue that build up when we try to carry too much.
For me, emptying the bin can look like a day offline, an hour in a sauna and cold plunge, or dinner with friends.
Whatever helps you clear space to breathe again, do that.
3. Recharge without apology
When the Roomba’s battery runs low, it doesn’t explain itself. It doesn’t post about being tired. It just goes back to its station to recharge.
Rest isn’t selfish or indulgent. It’s what makes sustained advocacy possible. Because burned-out people don’t make change, recharged ones do.
4. Ask for help when you’re stuck
When the Roomba gets tangled or trapped under furniture, it doesn’t keep struggling. It beeps loudly until someone helps.
That’s the part I’ve had to practice the most. When we’re overwhelmed, we tend to isolate. I always try to solve everything by myself.
But advocacy is a team effort. Asking for help isn’t failure; it’s a sign that you’re still in it, still trying, still part of something bigger.
5. Build a rhythm
One of my favorite things about a Roomba is that it works on a schedule. It doesn’t wait until the whole house is a disaster. It does a little every day.
That’s how sustainable advocacy works, too, through small, consistent actions: staying informed, donating, mentoring, voting, volunteering. You don’t have to go viral to make a difference. You have to keep showing up.
Why it matters
The Roomba analogy stuck because it reminds me that stopping isn’t the same as quitting.
Sometimes you stop because you’re full.
Sometimes, because you’re drained.
Sometimes, because you’re stuck.
The important part is knowing when to dock, and trusting that you’ll start again when you’re ready.
If we want to keep doing this work for the long haul, we have to build systems that include rest, reflection, and community. That’s not a weakness. That’s wisdom.
So yes, if you’re feeling energized after No Kings Day 2.0, let’s Roomba. Let’s do the work, but let’s also recharge, clear our bins, and ask for help when we need it.
Because the goal isn’t to burn out in service of change, it’s to sustain the change by taking care of ourselves while we build it.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Roomba. I just have deep respect for a little robot that understands boundaries better than most humans.