35,000 decisions and my story ain't one

Why decision fatigue is killing your storytelling and how to make it easier on your brain

By the time your head hits the pillow tonight, you’ll have made around 35,000 decisions.

Tea? Coffee? Joggers or jeans? Will my hair last one more day without washing? What are we going to eat for supper? How do I respond to that tricky client? Do I listen to that motivational podcast or just keep doom scrolling? Can I actually be arsed to do that bit of writing I promised myself I’d definitely do today?

It’s no wonder you feel like your brain is full of cotton wool by 9pm.

So if you’ve ever thought, “Why can’t I just get on with it and share my story?”
I want you to know something.

It’s not laziness.
It’s not a lack of commitment.
It’s not that you’re ‘just not a content person or a writer’

It’s load.

Mental load. Emotional load. Decision load. Life load.

And your brain, beautiful and brilliant as it is, can only handle so much.

The problem isn’t your story. It’s your timing.

I was listening to a Mel Robbins podcast the other day. She was talking about how the evenings are often the moment decision fatigue, or worse still paralysis, strikes. She shared about taking an hour to pick a film and then ending up scrolling social media anyway, and this hit a nerve. But why is this? It’s simple. Our decision making tank is empty. It’s too much. Our brains can’t cope.

It hit me, this is exactly why so many women don’t get around to sharing their stories.

Because we keep trying to do it when our brains are already maxed out. We leave it till the end of the day, after work, after tea, after sorting everyone else’s lives out.

And by that point, even deciding which story to tell feels like building IKEA furniture at midnight with a spoon and an existential crisis as company.

But here’s the good news: you can take the pressure off.

What if storytelling wasn’t another exhausting decision?

What if it was just… a tiny part of your rhythm, like brushing your teeth or putting the kettle on?

Here are five ways to make storytelling easier on your brain (and actually enjoyable):

1. Don’t leave it till you’re fried.

Your best thinking doesn’t happen at 9.47pm when you’ve already made 34,999 decisions. If you can, carve out 10 minutes first thing – before the world gets its hands on you. Just you, your cuppa and your story.

2. Set a micro-goal the night before.

And I mean micro. Write the first line. Brainstorm one idea. Open the Google doc. Make it laughably easy. The point is to reduce friction. No decisions. Just do the thing.

3. Break it down like an 80s dance track.

You don’t have to write a whole post. You don’t even have to write a whole paragraph. Just take one step today. Another tomorrow. Progress over perfection, always.

4. Use a structure that makes the decisions for you.

Trello (my go-to), The Notes app on your phone. Post-its. A fancy journal. Whatever works for you to keep a ‘story bank’ of ideas as they ping into your head. Then when you sit down to write, you don’t have to think, you just pick an idea and run with it. Best thing? They’re all good. You came up with them, after all.

5. Trust that your story is worth sharing.

This one’s big. The reason many women freeze is because we convince ourselves that our story isn’t important enough.That we’re just making a fuss. That no one wants to hear it.

But your story isn’t for everyone.
It’s for the right ones.
The ones who need to hear it and will feel less alone because you were brave enough to tell the truth.

Let your story be one less decision today.

You’ve got enough on your plate. You don’t need storytelling to be one more complicated, overwhelming task. You just need a rhythm. A system. A little self-kindness. And maybe a community of women who get it.

That’s what the She Roars Club is for.

It’s where women like you come to find their voice, tell their truth, and finally share the stories they’ve been sitting on for far too long. No pressure. No perfection. Just progress – together, in small weekly steps and all the support and accountability you need.

If you want a space to make storytelling simpler, braver and a whole lot less lonely, you’re welcome to join us. She Roars Club

(We’re all about fewer decisions, more roaring.)

Hilary xx