New Readers, Start Here: Invisible Decisions
If you’re new here, welcome. This is a short guide to the project, because Substack can be a little confusing & some people have asked.
This essay series is a public draft of a book called Invisible Decisions: The Hidden Physics of Burnout. I'm testing the framework in real time, seeing what resonates, and refining as I go. It’s about how modern systems quietly remove stopping points and shift more and more responsibility onto the most capable people, and how that subtly reshapes millions of lives. James Clear’s 1% rule showed how small improvements compound; I documented its inverse: how 1% daily accommodations compound into losing 97% of yourself - a pattern I noticed in maritime operations before realizing it mirrored his mathematics. I call this The 97% Effect. If you've ever been the Reliable One, the Competent One, or the Reasonable One without applying for the job, this is for you.
Some essays look at systems or institutions:
Netflix. Uber. Google Maps. Hospitals. Classrooms. Zoom. Bottomless Inboxes. Newspapers. Academies. Etc.
Others name the human roles those systems quietly rely on:
The Reliable One. The Competent One. The Reasonable One. The Loyal One. The Patient One.
You probably didn’t apply for those jobs. You just became the one who could be counted on. The one who saw problems coming. The one who stayed reasonable. Loyal. Patient.
Over time, the system learned to lean on you.
Each essay ends with two small things:
• One Small Release: something you can stop carrying or quietly put down.
• One Tiny Realignment: a one-degree shift you can actually make this week.
This series isn’t about blowing up your life. It’s about noticing where responsibility has pooled around you - and changing your role without burning everything down.
If you’re not sure where to begin, the currently published pieces are linked below:
There’s also a personal essay called The Invisible Decision, about an exam I took for years and a life I organized myself around - slowly and responsibly. It’s one example of what an invisible decision feels like from the inside.
You can read these in any order here. The through line is simple: modern systems are very good at keeping things moving forward. They are less good at asking whether forward is where you actually meant to go.
If that feels uncomfortably familiar, you’re in the right place. If any of the pieces resonate with you, feel free to share them or send me a note. I read every message.
- Kaitlin