Have you ever woken up with immediate dread because the day ahead of you was so busy? It happens to me all the time and, honestly, it’s a miserable way to greet the morning. It just doesn’t make for a positive experience. However, there is a way to quickly get your ship back on track and turn all that to-do into motivation. It’s called a “brain dump” and you should try one in the morning to have a more productive day.

A brain dump is similar to a brainstorm, except you’re dumping the contents of your brain. In this case, you’re dumping it into a notebook, planner, or digital document. The trusty old Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a brain dump as “the act or instance of expressing and recording one’s thoughts and ideas extensively and uncritically.” When you’re doing it for productivity, that “uncritical” part is important. Just write down (or type out) everything you need to do that day. Don’t categorize or prioritize anything; you’ll get to it in no time.

So a brain dump can be anything from “finish the big project at work” to “take the dog to the groomer” to “buy ingredients for my kid’s birthday cake.” Also, don’t be afraid to write down everything you’re going to do in the next few days, if that’s something that’s bothering you today. I just did one and ended up with tasks from every aspect of my life that need to be done this week, but ideally today or tomorrow: finish my list of big story pitches (work), add my additions to a shared spreadsheet (work), send out my birthday party invitations (personal), check what class I’m waitlisted for (school), get my eyelashes done (personal), get my laundry ready for dry cleaning (personal), take my computer to the store (work, personal, and school). There are tons more, but you get the idea.

Your goal in brain dumping should be to see the amount of tasks and feel the burden of remembering them lift from your brain. Even if you stopped here, with this cluttered mess of responsibilities and to-dos, you would have them all written down and you wouldn’t have to think about them anymore. But you’re not done yet.