Motivation comes second, here’s what to do when you don’t feel motivated, ie to drink more water.

Short version- make a plan, schedule a time and do it twice. Motivation will then help you stay with it, but not get you started. Rewards come last.

Long version- when looking to make a change or start a new habit we may have decided on a new years resolution as a fresh start to finally….fill in the blank…. but maybe that didn’t pan out. Let’s keep moving forward.

Whether you want to drink more water (good idea) or work out more consistently (another good idea) or meal prep every Sunday (I mean who can argue with that… brilliant), if you are human you may find yourself disappointed that you just aren’t actually doing it.

We have the ability to envision it. We can look at posts and reels and TikToks and find ourselves declaring a fresh start tomorrow! But our brains rarely work like that. We get initially excited about something- but then little follow through. It isn’t just you.

Why? We are wired to problem solve and meet basic needs in the moment when it comes to action. The prefrontal cortex (oversimplification- but for blogs sake let’s go with it) which is fantastic at logical future planning knows what we “should do” but is overridden by what we “want to do” in the moment. Example, I should wake up early to work out, I then in the moment really feel tired and prefer to hit snooze and roll over instead. Immediate need- sleep overrides all the careful planning.

It is normal to look for/wait for motivation to get us started. External motivation sometimes helps, working out with a trainer or a friend, making a public announcement so others will notice if we do or don’t fulfill our goals. If that works reliably- lucky you. If not, read on.

You have heard about SMART goals. I won’t go over that here, but it is a good idea. Mostly about being specific. It is a smart idea, so why don’t smart people do the smart things they want to and know they should.

Theory vs. Reality

I have studied this for selfish reasons and then also use it to help my patients achieve their health goals.

Here is a strategy that you can try for the example of a goal to “drink more water” as this applies to everyone and is a good idea not based on societal standards.

Stop, don’t go buy a new Stanley Cup as motivation ( btw I always think of a Hockey trophy when I see headlines about this and it gets confusing why people would fight about it in a Target parking lot) anyway.

Step 1 – look back on your last 2 times you decided to set this goal. What worked and what got in the way of you continuing to follow the plan?

I mean, that’s almost the whole strategy. 

Your goal is to benefit from hydration all day, not just meeting an ounce goal. Chasing a number by catching up in the evening will affect your sleep. So start early

Notice how I didn’t tell you what worked for me or what water bottle to buy? We think of those things as what might motivate us. But it’s the whole point of this post that it isn’t a good sustainable strategy.

For example, it is equally likely that if you buy one of those giant plastic bottles that have the time of day hash marks on them OR if you decide to hydrate only while you drive, that you can meet your goals. But it isn’t likely that those 2 strategies work for the same person.

You don’t need to follow ideas from others to try, but do need to know yourself.

Step 2-Common Scenario-you have purchased many different drinking vessels as motivation in the past and that didn’t help. The new strategy is to decide where in your routines you are going to add drinking water. My advice is first thing in the morning before your coffee. There, I said it. Before coffee. Drinking liquids is sadly not the same as hydrating. Anything caffeinated is a bladder stimulant so it doesn’t get you to hydrated as fast as you need.

Also thirst is a late sign, so waiting on thirst means you have some catching up to do.

-TRY- setting a goal to drink 12 ounces in the am before you have caffeine. It’s a stretch goal, some is better than none. If you work in healthcare, outdoors or teaching, you may want to try the strategy of drinking water in a limited timeframe such as on the way to work so you have a bathroom break before the day starts. Then repeat again at breaks or lunchtime.

If you work at a desk or from home, seems easier but this is even trickier. Why? Things that can happen at anytime have no actual place in your schedule. Try to schedule it in to a certain time in your daily agenda as a strategy. For example, always during a 30 min meeting at 8am then again at 11:30am.

Step 3– Ask yourself, are you a sipper or a chugger? Do you prefer little sips all day long or finish quickly and move on to stop thinking about it?

Little sips means water travels with you. Good for dry mouth, downside it gets hard to keep track of how much you drink. Set a time in your day when you plan to refill your water bottle. That will make sure you get it to empty periodically.

Chugging is easier to plan time for but tougher on the stomach to take. So I don’t really mean chugging, but instead maybe you drink 10 ounces of water during your morning routine to check the box of water drinking for morning and then have more water before each meal. Tying it to when you do other activities on a schedule gives you a water schedule.

Step 4– Picture this; you keep up with drinking water all week and find yourself more alert, refreshed and joints and muscles less sore. That is where your motivation kicks in to continue it. As long as it is easy, now motivation helps you keep it part of your daily routine.

Final Step– Rewards- our whole brain functions off of a reward system. Do not skip this part of motivation but make it the final step. Only consider rewards related to continuing the set goal. So, now go find your favorite water bottle and get it as a reward. (Shop in your friends and family’s cabinets first, water bottles are a hard thing to toss or donate, so they tend to stack up in the cabinets- free them up)

FAQs– How much is enough water? I dislike all versions of ounce calculators. We are too individual and our needs vary. Especially around work outs. Watch the color of your urine- super dark in the am =dehydrated. Super clear- no yellow=you went too far. Light yellow is a good goal.

If you hate the taste of water (I hear this a lot, so it doesn’t surprise me anymore) either separate the experience of pleasure from taste when it comes to water or add flavors/ buy pre flavored. BUT make sure you aren’t adding in aspartame (looking at you crystal light and diet coke, my childhood favorites) or other artificial sweeteners as there is nothing healthy about them, sorry.

Try fruit in your water if you are fancy. If you really can’t make yourself drink water then plan to Eat water rich foods, think cucumbers and watermelon daily.

Since everything you eat or drink plays a role, make a plan only for adding water and adjusting your amount to your needs. You can do it, your brain knows you can. Let’s just make it easy to keep going.