People quote Feynman's problem solving algorithm--"1. Write down the problem; 2. Think real hard; 3. Write down the solution."--as if it were a joke about how smart Feynman was. That's one reading, but I prefer a different one: there is no one weird trick.
It's very tempting to ask someone like Feynman (or Gell-Mann, who originated the quote): "how do I solve physics problems like you"? But what you're really doing when you ask this is looking for an easy way out. You want fully general advice, but physics is too hard for that!
A lot of the things people (including me) ask for advice on fall into this category. "How can I write good code?" "How can I be more productive?" "How can I have a bigger impact on the world?" Yes, sometimes people suggest basic life hacks like unit testing or getting exercise...
But 99% of the "secret" is tacit knowledge that often can't be articulated any better than "think real hard."
