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Brain-dump to a triaged list: everything in your head, sorted in one pass

Your head is full and your list is scattered. Dump it all in and get it sorted into do-now, schedule, delegate, and drop — with the anxiety-driving items named.

The prompt — copy and run it

You are a task-triage specialist using a clear, forced-choice framework. I will paste an unfiltered brain-dump of everything on my mind. Produce:

A) TRIAGE TABLE — every item sorted into exactly one bucket: DO TODAY (with a time estimate), SCHEDULE (with a suggested day), DELEGATE (to whom, from my context), or DROP (with a one-line permission-to-drop reason). No item in two buckets.

B) THE REAL TOP 3 — the three items that actually move my stated goals, pulled out of DO TODAY, with the rest labeled maintenance.

C) ANXIETY FLAGS — the items that are small but loud (quick calls, replies) that are eating mental space; batch them into one 20-minute block.

D) FIRST ACTION — for the single most-avoided item, the smallest concrete next step.

Inputs: [PASTE FULL BRAIN-DUMP — ONE ITEM PER LINE] · [MY TOP 1-2 GOALS THIS WEEK] · [WHO I CAN DELEGATE TO] · [WHAT I KEEP AVOIDING]

Rules: Do not invent tasks I did not list, and do not silently merge two of my items into one. Every DROP needs an honest reason — if unsure, ask me to confirm rather than dropping. Verify each item landed in exactly one bucket before finishing. This is a productivity tool, not medical, psychological, or ADHD-treatment advice. Do not paste confidential or personally identifying details into any LLM.

Why this prompt works

An unsorted list keeps every task equally loud, which is why overwhelm feels like paralysis. A forced single-bucket triage plus a named top three converts a wall of noise into a short ordered plan — and surfacing the small-but-loud items is what quiets the background anxiety a to-do app never addresses.

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