Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt first published the Oblique Strategies card deck in 1975. The card deck’s concept is simple: draw a card at random whenever you need inspiration and it will present a strategy for thinking about the problem from a different angle.

Oblique Strategies cards, 1975.

“State the problem in words as clearly as possible.” “Honor thy error as a hidden intention.” “Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify them.”

Oblique Strategies in list form

I reorganized these cards into a list that I could print and paste to my wall. They now sit in front of my desk, a place where my gaze lands when my fingers stop typing.

You can download the PDF document here

Or you can use various online versions of the cards:

http://www.joshharrison.net/oblique-strategies/

http://oblicard.com/