No matter what kind of work you do, it’s a good bet that every now and then you find yourself uninspired.

You know the feeling? You just can’t get started on that project…plan for that meeting…write that report. It’s important, it needs to be done, the stakes are high, and still you find yourself spinning your wheels.

Or maybe finishing is the hurdle for you. You got started just fine, but somewhere along the line you lost enthusiasm. Or something else grabbed your attention, you lost your momentum. Now you have to get it back so you can get the damn thing done.

How do you find the inspiration you need? Here are a few good ideas, courtesy of my informal panel of experts.

  • “Definitely move to a coffee shop and buy yourself something fun to drink.” That’s the advice from divorce mediator Ellen Barron Feldman.
  • “When I need to be creative, I always have to go somewhere else other than home,” says physical therapist Denise Kaz Schwartz. “My new favorite places are my library and the botanic garden to write.”
  • How about a trip to the Art Institute? Jennifer Overeem says, “I go to a location like that and take in creativity around me. Sometimes just going to a beautiful place inspires me.”
  • Hair solutions expert Christine Pusateri has a solution for inspiration too. “I get my best ideas when I work out!”
  • Marianne Kaplan of Feng Shui for Success suggests listening to a variety of music when you need inspiration. And Nia teacher Lisa Rude says the answer is “Dance, of course.”
  • You might need some outside input. Career Coach Lauren Milligan: “I belong to an awesome mastermind group. They’re good at inspiring AND not letting my head get too big.”
  • Artist June Blunk says, “Getting out of my head with things such as meditation brings me inspiration. I’ve found not thinking, getting out of the way opens up my creative mind. It just flows.”
  • Then there’s author and fitness coach Joan Maiden: “Just write. Doesn’t matter what. Once the words start to flow, you’ll be amazed what will come. It’s like priming the pump.”
  • Video marketing expert Rhonda Rhyder recommends a walk in nature. Mediator Deborah Kilgore Ford says, “Go to the lake.” In Chicagoland, “the lake” means Lake Michigan; your local body of water will do just fine.
  • Realtor Joyce Zelazik has a unique approach. “I paint and listen to classical music. It does get me to thinking. Which colors am I feeling today? What do I want to say? Before you get to thinking I’m some great artist. Just know that I have never saved one; I really stink and I just throw them away. But they make me feel better and get my creative juices flowing.”
  • And then there’s retail maven Kay Kuhlman. “Probably sounds strange, but I get my best ideas when I’m brushing my teeth.

Okay, that does sound strange. And, I’m for anything that works when it comes to generating ideas, putting them on paper, or moving a project forward.

One thing stands out for me, and it may be an introvert/extrovert thing. For some of us, inspiration comes in solitude—a walk in nature, a workout, meditation.

Others of us need, well, others of us. The crowd at the coffee shop, the mastermind group. Or, in my case, Facebook friends. Yes, that’s how I got inspired on the subject of inspiration—call it crowdsourcing!

In the end, we have to do the work, whether we’re inspired or not. W. Somerset Maugham had it right: “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

Does the clock create inspiration for you? Or maybe you have another way to get it in gear when you have to get something done?

Share your experience in the comments below …