[pantulis]

Sometimes it's been useful for me to use the tool used to state the problem as a guidance framework during the thought process.

So you could try to state the problem in a very structured way (say, a spreadsheet) and at the same time in a visual way (say, a presentation slide deck). Of course some people are better using one type than the other but that's where the trick relies: forcing yourself to think in a way that is not your "natural" way of thinking.