If the rain comes: How to get motivated on a gray Monday

Suffering from a lack of motivation? Look outside—it may be the weather.

We’ve all been there, especially around this time of year. Winter finally fades into the background (not a moment too soon, if you’re in the northeast like us, where we’re starting to feel like we’ve been transported to a colder, snowier Seattle), but March brings plenty of rainy days and gray skies along with its warmer temperatures.

If you feel less motivated than usual on those days, you’re not alone. Scientists haven’t been able to identify exactly why our motivation disappears when the sun does, but they have some ideas. There’s even a mood disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, that affects people who live in places that are consistently dark and dreary.

So what do you do on those mornings when you feel like you can’t get anything done? Instead of sending yourself into a caffeine coma, try some of these methods to get your motivation back.