Run errands alone sometimes. A grocery list and a quiet store are a surprisingly good place to think.

Certain thinking only happens while your hands are busy with something undemanding. A quiet shop and a list occupy just enough of you to break the usual circling, which leaves the back of your mind free to work on whatever it has been carrying around. That is why answers turn up in aisles rather than at desks.

Volunteer for the shop run this week and go on your own with nothing playing. Let the list hold the front of your attention. Note anything useful that shows up before you have finished unpacking the bags.