I used to think of the word jettison in simple terms, as a synonym for throw away or toss out, but after coming across it in my dictionary while working on today's alphabet-inspired journal page, I realized I've been missing an important part of its meaning.
Yes, it's about getting rid of something, but it's the why that makes it special. Jettisoning is about removing something in order to lighten the load. It's the thing you do to keep a heavy cargo from bringing the plane down or sinking the ship. It's the thing you do to keep going.
It has interesting parallels when you think about it from a personal perspective. Are there parts of your day, for example, that weigh you down? Things that make it difficult to get to the end of the day feeling like you're still in one piece? If you could jettison one of those things, even just for today, would it lighten your load and make it easier to keep flying?
In my own planning, I've been thinking about it in terms of narrowing my focus. What's one important thing I want to accomplish today? Is there anything on my to-do list for the day that makes it more difficult to accomplish that one thing? What would happen if I jettisoned it?
Poof! It's off the list! Not necessarily forever, just until I get the important thing done. Then I can circle back, but with the added confidence and motivation of having achieved something that matters to me.
How about you? Is there one task, big or small, you can jettison from your day in order to lighten your load?
If you'd like to journal the letter j, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!