So, I was looking through Matthew 10 again recently. It’s that bit where Jesus sends his guys out. Tells them to basically pack light, don’t sweat the small stuff, no extra cash, no extra clothes, just get on with it. And it got me thinking.
I realized I do the exact opposite in pretty much everything. Especially work stuff, but even planning a weekend away. I map out every possible scenario. Got backups for my backups. Spreadsheets detailing things that probably won’t ever happen. It’s exhausting, honestly.
Trying Something Different
So I thought, okay, let’s try an experiment. Inspired by this “travel light” idea. Picked one specific project at work, nothing too massive but not trivial either. Let’s call it ‘Project Finch’. My goal: do the absolute essential prep, get the core things lined up, and then just… start. No overthinking every potential pitfall. Just deal with stuff as it comes up. If one thing didn’t work, figure out something else on the fly, you know? Like that instruction to shake the dust off your feet and move on.
Easier said than done, let me tell you. My instinct was screaming at me the whole time. “What if this happens? What if that supplier flakes? You haven’t got a Plan B, C, and D!” I literally had to force myself not to open up another document to plan contingencies. Felt really weird, like walking a tightrope without a net.
- Had a meeting where I needed specific data. Normally, I’d have prepped three different ways to present it. This time, just the main way. Took some quick thinking when a question came up I hadn’t explicitly prepared for.
- Then, we hit a roadblock with a piece of software we needed. My usual self would have researched three alternatives beforehand. This time? Nope. Had to scramble, make calls, push the vendor. Felt really exposed, like I hadn’t done my homework.
Pretty sure a couple of my team members noticed. Got a few looks. One person actually said something like, “Cutting it a bit fine this time, aren’t we?” Yeah, felt like it.
How It Shook Out
So, did the project crash and burn? No. Did it go perfectly smoothly? Also no. It was definitely messier in places. Some parts probably took a bit longer because we were reacting to problems instead of having a pre-made solution waiting. Felt more chaotic in the day-to-day.
But here’s the kicker. The project got finished. On time, more or less. And the strange part? The overall stress level felt… different. Less of that grinding, upfront anxiety about every possible thing going wrong. More sharp, in-the-moment stress when actual problems arose. And thinking back, I saved a ton of time not preparing for disasters that never actually happened.
It felt lighter. Like I wasn’t carrying this massive backpack full of “what ifs”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I could, or should, do this for everything. Especially the really critical, high-stakes stuff. My manager would likely freak out. But for certain things? Maybe there’s something to this. It forces you to be more adaptable, more resourceful right when you need it.
Still, it feels unnatural. That deep-seated need to control every variable? That habit is tough to break. Really tough. But maybe, just maybe, packing a little lighter sometimes isn’t the worst idea.