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The day I had nothing left to give
How I built a content system for chaos
Stephen Stanberry
September 16th, 2025
friend!
This summer I hit a wall.
Kids were home.
House was chaos.
Deadlines piled up.
I tried to sneak in work between snacks, tantrums, and trips to the fridge.
Sat down at the laptop.
And stared at the blank screen.
Nothing came out.
Not an idea. Not a headline. Not a spark.
And here’s the thing: it wasn’t burnout.
It was just life.
In the past, a day like this would have spiraled me.
I’d get stuck in guilt.
Beat myself up for being “unproductive.”
Convince myself I was falling behind.
But this time, something different happened.
I had a system to fall back on.
One that didn’t care if I was tired, stressed, or distracted.
One that didn’t require me to feel “on” to still ship work.
I call it the Story Bank System.
And it’s the reason my business survived the noise of summer.
Here’s how it works.
1. Weekly Story Anchor
Every week, I capture one story.
Sometimes it’s personal, like trying to work with kids fighting over popsicles.
Sometimes it’s professional, like a client breakthrough.
Doesn’t matter.
That single story becomes the anchor.
It’s the seed I use to create all the content for that week.
When you start here, you don’t have to scramble for daily inspiration.
You already know the theme.
2. Repurpose Across 5 Formats
One story can work harder than you think.
I turn mine into:
– A LinkedIn post
– A short-form video
– A newsletter
– A thread
– A repackaged version I save for later
This multiplies the reach without multiplying the effort.
It means I can show up on multiple platforms, consistently, without creating something new from scratch every day.
3. Fresh or Banked
This is the real lifesaver.
When I feel fresh, I write.
When I don’t, I open my Notion content bank.
Inside, I’ve stored past stories, ideas, and drafts.
So even when my brain feels like scrambled eggs, I can pull something useful, polish it, and ship it.
No wasted energy.
No downward spiral into “I failed today.”
It’s not glamorous.
But it works.
Because you don’t need motivation to stay consistent.
You need a system that protects you from the messy days.
In short:
Anchor one story.
Repurpose it across five formats.
Lean on the bank when you’re tired.
That’s it.
Talk soon,
Stephen
The best HR advice comes from those in the trenches. That’s what this is: real-world HR insights delivered in a newsletter from Hebba Youssef, a Chief People Officer who’s been there. Practical, real strategies with a dash of humor. Because HR shouldn’t be thankless—and you shouldn’t be alone in it.
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