You see what you see. Imagination is like recycling.
so, if you want to think more visually than get more visual on purpose. Focusing helps, distracting "natural" noise helps and, as Kimberly stated, evaluate what you see. Then, if you like this process, you will become this process and you see what you see.

Marc
photographer

Think about shapes as you visualize things. Then think about hue or value i.e. dark and light. Translate this into color and the different variations a color can have in tone. Look at marble. Do partial pictures of things jump out at you... a face an animal profile. Evaluate what you see don't just look at it.