Episode #401 – How to Motivate Yourself When You’re Just Not Feeling It

This is episode 401 of the Brilliant Balance podcast, and today I’m talking about how to motivate yourself when you’re just not feeling it. I don’t know about you, but this is typically the time of year when it becomes really hard to find personal motivation.

And that’s coming from someone who’s usually very motivated. I’m wildly ambitious, with a lot of drive and personal discipline. Most of the time, it’s not hard for me to find the gear I need to be productive and get things done.

But there are two kinds of days—or patterns—that are particularly difficult for me. One of them doesn’t happen as often in summer: those gray, rainy, blah days.

That kind of weather may affect my mood more than my motivation. I’m really susceptible to being in a crabby mood when the weather is gray, overcast, and rainy. I hate it—it just doesn’t agree with me.

But the other situation that makes it hard to feel motivated? Those perfect early summer days. The sky is blue, everything is green and colorful, the humidity is still low. We’re not over the heat yet, and there’s just something about that weather that makes me want to be outside and active. The last thing I want to do is sit at a desk.

It’s that late spring, early summer window. By the time the really hot days arrive, I’m happy to be indoors in the air conditioning. But there’s this moment in the season when I feel unmotivated. And sometimes it’s not seasonal at all—I might just feel bored with what I have to do.

Not necessarily burned out, just bored. I’ve been doing the same things for a while, and I’m sick of them. It’s hard to get motivated when your to-do list doesn’t feel meaningful or exciting. So today, I want to talk about what to do when you find yourself in that zone—when you’re just not feeling it.

A few weeks ago, I had one of those days. I was sitting at my desk, staring at my computer, staring at my to-do list, rewriting things, reorganizing them. I call it “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” Nothing productive was happening, and I felt completely flat—no spark.

I kept refreshing my email, hoping something would catch my attention. I cleaned out a drawer, pretended to be productive, but I was going nowhere fast. So I made a decision in that moment that helped tremendously.

It illustrates the first thing you can do when your motivation is lagging: change your environment.

I picked up my laptop and my bag, put on my running shoes, and went to a little coffee shop near my house. I had no specific agenda—just a desire for a change of scenery.

And within 20 minutes of sitting down with my coffee, I had banged out an outline that had been stuck in my head for days. It had been right on the edge of becoming something tangible, and suddenly it came together.

There was something about the hum of other people working, the background noise of conversations, the sense that things were happening around me—it jump-started my brain.

Sometimes the fastest way to get back into motion isn’t trying harder. It’s not about forcing yourself—it’s about changing your venue. You can’t always think or will yourself into motivation, but you can often move your way into it.

It’s hard to find motivation in the place where you lost it. It’s like the space itself has gone stale, and you need to shake things up to make room for new ideas.

Maybe this is part of what’s behind the concept of Feng Shui. I’m no expert, but the idea that your physical space holds energy—and that its orientation can influence how you feel—makes sense. You’ve probably had the experience of switching up your workspace or traveling and suddenly feeling a lift.

This happened to me again recently while I was traveling. I had a few unscheduled hours and took my laptop out to a veranda attached to my hotel. It overlooked a beautiful water feature, and the weather was perfect. Within minutes, I was on a roll with ideas flowing. I didn’t want that window to end.

It’s no coincidence that we often get our best ideas when we’re in a new place. A fresh environment can unlock creativity.

If you’re stuck and feeling unmotivated, start with this first strategy: change your environment. Even bringing something new into your existing space can make a difference. If you can’t leave your space entirely, declutter it. That simple act can help clear your mind.

I’ve coached women for years to declutter their workspace when their thinking feels cluttered. It works. Take a look around right now—are there piles of papers, notebooks, coffee cups, random things like lip gloss? (I’m notorious for the lip gloss stash at my desk.) Tidying up and creating a clean slate can make all the difference.

Sometimes, my focus on efficiency makes it feel indulgent to take the time to change my environment. But it always pays off. When I make the effort to relocate, I often experience a huge productivity boost.

So the first way to regain motivation: change your scenery.

The second way: change your inputs.

I believe our inputs determine our outputs. What we feed ourselves—physically, mentally, emotionally—determines what comes out.

I was recently talking to a client during a coaching session. She said she felt off, foggy, uninspired.

As we dug deeper, she shared that she was living off coffee and protein bars. That was clue number one.

Then she said she’d been doing a lot of scrolling before bed. She knew she should put her phone down but couldn’t seem to stop. On top of that, she had a very negative friend who called every day to vent.

Individually, none of those things seemed catastrophic. But altogether, they were draining her energy.

So we made a back-to-basics plan. I often do this with clients—go back to the foundational practices: sleep, hydration, nutrition, movement.

She committed to drinking more water, eating real food (not from plastic wrappers), journaling in the morning instead of checking Instagram, listening to music she loves, and temporarily distancing herself from her draining friend.

Within five days, she texted me: “I feel like myself again.” The lights were coming back on, ideas were flowing, and she was productive again.

We often wait for motivation to magically reappear, but it’s usually buried under junk—mental, emotional, and physical.

So I ask you: What are you eating and drinking? Are you fueling yourself—or numbing yourself?

What are you consuming online? Are your social feeds and podcasts uplifting or draining? Are they inspiring—or pulling you into comparison traps?

And who are you spending time with? Are they encouraging and supportive—or needy and draining?

A mini-reset to clean up your inputs can transform your energy and bring your motivation back.

Finally, the third strategy: change your goal.

Years ago, I was running my first business, Nourish. I started it with so much passion. It focused on health and wellness—coaching women and helping them get nutritious meals on the table.

It was the perfect starter business. For a while, it truly lit me up.

But over time, every task began to feel heavier. The excitement faded. I thought something was wrong with me. I had created this business—shouldn’t I love it?

One day, I asked myself: “If I weren’t doing this, what would I be doing?” And immediately, I knew: I’d still be coaching women, but on their whole lives, not just food and wellness.

That insight became the seed that grew into Brilliant Balance. But to get there, I had to change my goal. I had to shut down Nourish, which initially felt like a failure. But it was really just evolution. And as soon as I released the old goal, my energy came rushing back.

Another example: marathon running. I did it for years and loved it—until I didn’t. Eventually, I realized I had no desire to keep doing it. Letting it go freed me to channel my energy into things that did light me up.

So if you’re feeling unmotivated, maybe it’s not you. Maybe your goal has expired. It’s time to check in and ask: “Am I even on the right track anymore?”

There’s a natural order to these strategies. Don’t start by changing your goal. First, try changing your environment. Then, check your inputs. But if neither works, it may be time to re-evaluate your destination.

Audit your goals. Are you chasing something that still matters to you?

If you can’t get motivated to finish a project, do you even want that project? If you can’t get motivated to work out, is it because you don’t actually like the workout you’ve chosen?

Sometimes, that lack of motivation is your inner voice saying, “This isn’t it anymore.” When you find something new and aligned to pursue, motivation returns.

So to recap:

1. Change your environment.

2. Change your inputs.

3. Change your goal.

Try one today. You don’t have to wait for motivation to magically reappear—you can invite it back with intentional choices.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who’s been struggling with motivation. These are practical ideas anyone can use.

I’d love to hear if something in this episode moved you to action. The best way to connect is to DM me on Instagram @cskolnicki. More and more of you are finding me on LinkedIn as well, and I’m so grateful for that.

That’s all for today, my friends. Until next time—let’s be brilliant.