Do you sweat the small stuff?
We were prepping to kickoff a big engagement with a new client.
We were expecting a large group - around 10 on the client side, over half that on ours. Most of the client participants were flying in specifically for this event.
We had the agenda planned in detail…in addition to making space for reviewing the goals of the project, history, risks, and prioritization, we had planned time for introductions, bio breaks (you always need more than you think!), and space to return to parking lot topics.
We set out the room the afternoon before - fresh pads of sticky notes and brand new sharpies. Bottles of water around the table, snacks at the front (plus more in the kitchen), a box of tissues and extra pens. We even folded heavy paper to make table tent name cards.
We brought in extra chairs and coached our team on where to sit. We made sure our office director had time to swing by to meet the client. We picked out a restaurant for lunch delivery that had a wide range of options to suit any palate or dietary restrictions. We had recommendations for dinner ready to go.
As we were heading home for the night, hoping we were ready for the big event the next day, I couldn’t help but wonder….
Had we focused on the right things?
Have you ever felt this way?
In this case, we had. Because we had put so much thoughtfulness into the agenda, we were able to get through the goals of the day. Our planned breaks were frequent and long enough that folks didn’t feel the need to “step out for a moment” and disrupt our progress. Because people’s needs were met, we didn’t lose time looking for the materials we needed for our exercises or chairs for the extra people who showed up.
We often hear the advice “don’t sweat the small stuff”. It comes from a good place - it is easy to blow little things out of proportion, get distracted by things that don’t matter, or waste time doing things that don't need to be done (or done to that level of detail).
And yet, we also know that there are many times that the details do matter.
Showing up on time to a one-on-one with our direct reports, fully present to the conversation, shows that we’re invested in them and their success.
Offering a no response to a request for our time rather than ignoring the request allows the requestor to find an alternate way of getting what they need.
Doing the PT exercises day after day rebuilds our strength and function.
So, how do we decide when we SHOULD sweat the small stuff?
Here are three questions you can ask yourself:
Does this support who you want to be?
Is doing this action, continuously and over time, something that aligns with the person you want to be? Or is there something else that would better support how you want to show up in the world?
Will this action add up to something important?
Most big things actually come from a bunch of small things. Is this action something that will build towards something important to you, like a big goal or milestone?
Is this yours to do?
Sometimes we take on small things because they’re small and easy, even when we don’t need to be the one to do them. Is this thing something that you need to do, or should someone else be taking it on?
In a world with so many demands on our time, it’s easy to focus on small stuff that doesn’t matter and forget the small things that do. When in doubt, consider if the action supports who you want to be, adds up to something important, and is actually yours to do.
What small stuff will you focus on this week?
Will you send me a message and let me know?
January 22, 2026
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
Book your free strategy session.
