Making a request of someone — whether it’s a raise or a favour — can be tricky. If you’re struggling to come up with a plan to get what you want, Psychology Today recommends you write down the basis of your request before making it so you can decide if the request is actually reasonable.

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The idea here is that often when we’re planning on asking for something, we don’t really know if it’s worth it or not. To counteract that, Psychology Today suggests you write out your reasons so you can better understand your request:

After doing a thorough and honest self-evaluation, you can use this list of reasons to bring with you, even if only mentally, to your negotiation… [Y]ou can at least organise your thoughts ahead of time so you’re less likely to feel rattled or embarrassed. On the other hand, if you can’t come up with enough reasons, then it’s possible that your request is in fact unreasonable.

Chances are you have your reasons for making a request, but if you want to actually get someone to do what you want them to you need to order those reasons in a way they’ll actually care. A little preparation ahead of time should make that negotiation easier.

9 Ways to Ask For (and Get) What You Want [Psychology Today]