Well, I don't know if it's a "thing"; I just made it up.

   But I've done exactly that a few times in my life when I was
   REALLY torn, stuck, frustrated. I just said, "FUCK IT!" and
   started writing. Writing writing writing. List after list after
   list. So many details.

   It got all that shit out of my head and onto paper, especially
   the answers to the question, "What am I avoiding right now?" and
   the more painful it was to even THINK of "the thing", the more I
   knew I was close to the very thing I needed to address and face.

   After it was done, I forgot about them and got on with life. But
   it was very useful.