Don't make the choices meaningless, first of all. And avoid really gruesome / graphic stuff. And I highly recommend avoiding taking any inspirations from children's novels, unless you've got the mind to take your own spins on them. Really unique spins (the initial ideas can be as weird as you want, but preferably stick to something that makes you want to wake every day to put in a few words).
As for what you should do? I can't help you there, besides expecting that a multi-branched story should take a lot longer than a usual linear story, and the best ones on this site have taken literal years to make. Intimidating, I know, but it tends to grow on you after a while.
The one thing you could do, I think, is prioritize real-life time over CYS time, though. Can't write a CYOA if you don't have a job or education, can you? That, and don't worry about how fast other people pump out their works, unless it's in a contest. :P