A ruthless edit made over twelve years of over-packing, under-packing, and everything in between.
I used to pack for every possibility. The formal dinner that might happen. The unexpected cold snap. The shoes that would work for both hiking and restaurants. I arrived everywhere with a suitcase that told a story about anxiety.
Now I pack one bag, carry-on only, for any trip under a month. This required years of making mistakes and a willingness to wear the same trousers to dinner.
The rules I have arrived at: twice as many socks as you think. Half as many "just in case" items. One book you have already read and one you have not. Linen, which travels badly in theory and well in practice. A scarf that can become anything.
The deeper principle, I have come to believe, is that packing light is not about having less — it is about trusting yourself to handle whatever happens. The problem with over-packing is that it reveals a discomfort with uncertainty. The edit, done ruthlessly, is a small act of confidence.