Hunting nessie....

immersion - incubation - illumination - verification

http://cameroncounts.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/doing-research/

In 1945, Jacques Hadamard published a book called The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field. The above four words are his theory: that there are four phases of thought involved in solving a mathematical puzzle. I think this is a pretty good description for solving any problem. Doesn't mean that you know when to stop or start each one, more that you might find the landscape more familiar and less annoying.