Old subway maps, yes. Grids are solid, but sometimes you need that extra visual nudge to make things click. It's cool how looking outside your usual references can unstick a project.
That "fresh angle" thing is so true. I see it all the time with how people set up their garages or organize tools. The best systems come from copying something that already works in a totally different place.
That "extra visual nudge" you mentioned is spot on. I'm so stuck in my own ways that I once used a grocery list to plan a website layout. Breaking out of that loop is honestly the best fix for my brain.
Honestly that "looking outside your usual references" thing Amy mentioned is the real deal. It's wild how something as simple as a board game layout or the instructions on a coffee maker can give you a totally fresh angle. Stella_walker34's grocery list example is perfect for that, it shows how any ordinary system can flip a switch in your head. I keep a folder of random stuff like that now for when I hit a wall.