In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Is this a re-gift party or are folks supposed to buy something new--or does it matter? How much is the spending limit? Is there some sort of challenge or theme? Make sure everyone understands the rules like whether they have to buy new things or not. Be careful of sticking to overly stringent rules. After all, not everyone has a regiftable present laying around. Not everyone is good at picking out gifts. The focus of this game is on fun not making it a picky rules-bound affair. Be aware that very elaborate rules or themes (such as it has to be edible, or red or green, or some such) may be fun for some but may be an annoyance and stress for another. In general, keep it simple. Gift spending limits avoid putting people in a position to pay an uncomfortable amount for a gift. What may be comfortable for the vice president will not be the same as the junior secretary. Price limits keep gifts more or less on the same level of value. You don't want one person to get a brand new video game console and another person to get a used pen protector. Get it gift wrapped or wrap the gift yourself, and bring it to the party stealthily. And feel free to have some fun with this. Feel free to do a really silly wrapping job. Use plain brown paper, or even just stick it in a plain mailing envelope. Do something silly. Feel free to wrap it with a different theme than expected. For a New Year's gift exchange, wrap it in birthday, baby gift, or graduation themes. If you enjoy wrapping, feel free to do an excellent job. Go overboard, do every elaborate flourish. If you're having trouble coming up with a gift that is both off-the-wall and appropriate, consider these gift ideas: Hideous or tacky jewelry Perfume or lotion with an unpleasant scent. Cheap, ugly statues or other decorative knick-knacks. An obnoxious T-shirt, sweater, tie, socks, or bow-tie. Workout videos, particularly those with obnoxious aerobic instructors Bargain bin DVDs of Grade-B movies...the worse the better. A framed picture of your boss, (perhaps autographed) but only if the boss has a good sense of humor. CD of awful or weird music Although "White Elephant" or "Yankee Swap" gifts often aim to be wacky and goofy, there is nothing wrong with a gift that is sensible. It is OK to go with something that you are pretty sure will not get tossed in the bin. Sometimes trying to find the perfect crazy gift is just adding too much stress to holiday shopping. Some perhaps more boring but welcome exchange gifts: Lottery tickets Water bottle, mug, or coffee travel cup Small gift certificate to local eatery Winter hat, scarf, or gloves Good quality tea or coffee gift set Kitchen items, such as measuring cups, spoons, oven mitts The idea is for people to not know who the gift is coming from. Once you get to work, place the gift into a gift box along with all the other gifts. Make numbers for however many people are participating in the gift exchange. For example, if there are 15 people participating, write out the numbers 1 through 15 on small pieces of paper, fold them once or twice, and throw them into a small bowl or bag. The number will signify the order in which they choose a gift. The first person chooses any wrapped gift in the gift box and opens it. Their turn ends. The first player will be given the option to exchange gifts with another player at the very end. A person who has his/her gift stolen from them gets to either steal a gift from someone else or choose a replacement gift from the gift box. You cannot immediately steal back the gift that was stolen from you. You must wait at least one round before stealing back a gift that was once in your possession. A gift cannot be stolen more than once a turn. The person with the next-highest number either chooses a gift from the gift box or steals a gift from someone else. People who have gifts stolen can choose a gift out of the gift box or steal items that have not yet been stolen that round.
Summary: Set the gifting rules for your group. Find that perfect white elephant gift. Some great "White Elephant Gift" Ideas. Find Other Low-Cost Fun Gift Exchange Gifts. Be secretive about your gift. Write out consecutive numbers on small pieces of paper. Have everyone draw a number. Begin with the person who draws #1. Have the next person choose whether they want to steal a previously-opened gift or choose an unopened gift from the gift box. Repeat in order of number.

Problem: Article: To brainstorm and organize ideas for your project, make a mind map to stimulate new thoughts. Use a plain piece of paper, poster board, or whiteboard for your mind map and write the goal of your project in the middle. Write down related topics, subtopics, and relevant concepts around the goal, and branch out from them to create and follow different tangents. For instance, if your goal is to "provide a comprehensive account of the history of the fur trade in North America", subtopics and tangents could include "relations with Natives", "history of European fashion", and "the cultural significance of fur". If you are doing a group project, brainstorming things together will allow each group member to feed off of the ideas of others and gain new insight. Schedule a brainstorming session in a quiet place with few distractions. If you are working on a project on your own, group discussion with friends or colleagues can help you gain a new perspective on the topic you're covering. Remember to include everybody in any decision-making. Plan out the process of your research by using the gap filling brainstorming technique. To do this, identify where you are starting from in terms of your knowledge and resources (i.e. Point A), and identify where you want to go with your project (Point B). Make a list of all of the things missing between Point A and Point B and make a plan for filling in this gap. For instance, if Point A is starting a project about electric cars with limited knowledge on the topic, and Point B is completing a PowerPoint presentation about them, you can fill the gap by conducting research (online and in a library), outlining the history, technology, and possible future of electric cars, and procuring pictures and news articles about them.
Summary:
Try mind mapping. Discuss things in a group. Plot out your research.