I don't know that I would call it a trick, but instead of one "start" word, for quordle and octodle I often have two start words. So I lay out 3 vowels and 7 consonants and see where I am from there. Then concentrate on one word at a time. If the first two start words really leave me with nothing I have a third, but it reuses one consonant. However if I have to use it, I've put 14 unique letters on the board out of the possible 26