Meetings where you're working on a problem together are also fun. Just a bunch of people staring silently at a whiteboard.

Programmers do that a lot? I always just start trying stuff in the command line until it works. It's in research though, so maybe different from what is typical developer stuff?

Sounds like Feynman’s algorithm.

1. Write down the problem
2. Think about it really hard
3. Write down the solution

Look IDK about math, but I know about programming: "stare at it" is bad advice. Give it a minute or two, then get up and go for a walk or go to bed. Let your subconscious stare at it instead; it's actually better at this stuff than you are.