Take the rule everybody assumes and flip it. Sometimes the upside-down version is the idea.

Every field carries rules nobody rechecks, usually because they made sense under conditions that have since changed. Turning one upside down is a quick way to find out whether it was holding something up or just sitting there. Most of the time the inverted version fails, and it fails informatively. Occasionally the rule turns out to be a habit and the opposite works better.

Write down three things everyone in your area treats as given. Take one and build the opposite version, small enough to test in an afternoon. Even if it does not work, you will understand the rule instead of only obeying it.