I spent the past 2 years planning for the day when I could fly again and have successfully been flying with carry on only. For my last trip I even overpacked and still had room to spare. Compressible packing cubes have been a game changer for me. My biggest problem was toiletries which would usually take up a sizeable chunk of space in my bag. I have now streamlined down to a single small pouch of nostrums and unguents in smaller containers. Being able to manage a week long business trip with a 21" spinner and a laptop bag is huge for me.
Granted I have been making other, frustrating mistakes due to being out of practice flying. Like forgetting to enter my KT# on my reservation when booking my flight (sigh)...