What are the four ways to gathering ideas for a writing task?

Four effective ways to gather ideas for a writing task include brainstorming, where you jot down any thoughts that come to mind; mind mapping, which visually organizes ideas around a central theme; free writing, where you write continuously without worrying about grammar or structure to unblock creativity; and researching, which involves exploring existing literature or resources related to your topic for inspiration. These techniques can help generate a diverse range of ideas to develop your writing.