From time to time I stumble across a solution to a problem. Sometimes they are so obvious it's embarrassing (am I the only person who didn't know?). Other times it's dumb luck that led to an interesting discovery. The last category is those that actually had to be thought through--and yes it works sometimes to just think clearly and logically about what's going on.
A tip is not a tip unless it's shared...so here are a few things I'd like to pass on for whatever they are worth...