It happens to all of us and unfortunately too often: we drink far too little or even forget to drink completely while we are in the flow.
Here is how I try to drink enough:
- Having a 1L bottle (refillable) of water on my desk
- Having an alarm set to every hour with a small note "drink a glass"
- If I leave the office, my bottle has to be empty. If not, I must drink it before leaving.
I am thrilled with the "Urban Bottle" from "green your life":
So let's share and collect:
What are your routines, which reminders do you use, how do you ensure to keep yourself hydrated during work?
Top comments (24)
I tend to drink naturally, I don't "forget" to. I always have a bottle on my desk and I drink a lot of tea. I guess I drink about 1L (at least) during the working hours.
I used to almost never drink during the day, even when I was at home, but I tried to make it an healthy habit and for once I succeeded 😀
That is very good to make it a habit and don't have to think about it anymore. My long-term goal!
I try to never let the coffee cup be empty for more than ten minutes (which it takes to make new one).
That is a good approach :D
But - theoretically - you have to drink a glass of water for every cup of coffee because coffee dehydrates the body?
No, it does not.
Thanks for the link and the clarification! :)
I used to have good ol' Slack Bot to remind me every 2 hours to grab a drink of water (back when I'm in the office), though most of the time I just ignore the notification because I'm too focused on what I'm working on. And besides, caffeine is pretty much my water-replacement these days :/
I keep a plastic cup on my desk and try to fill it back to the top once an hour to stretch and get away from the computer.
That's at work during the week; i'm still very bad about keeping up with water at home, so after a long weekend i come back to work wondering why i feel dehydrated 😂
Haha yes on the weekend it is hard to keep it up! :D
This is a good point, I like your little rules. It's easy to forget to drink water or even remember when you drank last. Often I've felt that I was doing great on my water consumption, but still end up dehydrated due to not realizing it's been hours!
Almost thought this was a promotional post, so I'm glad it wasn't (no affiliate links).
Hey DeChamp, yes this is true for me also.
I wouldn't want to promote products for that :)
Are there any benefits to drinking when you don't feel thirsty?
I think just taking hourly breaks from any involving task is enough to not forget to feel thirsty.
Yes, I agree! The benefit depends on how much you already drank on that day and how many hours until bedtime are left.
I keep a 12 oz. glass--an actual glass, glass--at my desk just for water. I try to drink one full glass every 2 hours or so. This way, at the very least, I'm getting up to refill, stretch and get my eyes away from the screen a few times a day.
Something about having a glass and not a plastic tumbler makes the water more appealing.
Really good point here Shannon! A glass needs to be filled more often than the bottle and the connected stretching and off-screen time is benficial.
Made me thinking of putting a glass on my desk instead of the big bottle.
Thanks for sharing!
I basically just have something to drink with breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea (usually a large glass of water). Other than that I will pop to the water cooler if I feel thirsty. No need for reminders or fancy water bottles :)
I have a refillable water bottle, and I naturally drink a lot so I'm okay. I probably go through at least a litre, probably closer to two during working hours.
That's great, always good if it "just works". It was a very demanding time at work where I "lost" the control of my hydration and simply ignored my needs for water to get things done.
That is the reason I am controlling myself until it is a natural habit again.
I completely understand! Happens to us all. I often forget to eat and take breaks, and certainly, in times of stress, I eat too much lol. It all comes down creating habits, which is never fun. Good luck in gaining the habit back!
Some true words, you managed to wrap it up in short.
Thank you!
Every time I get bored or stuck, I get up and walk to the kitchen.
Take a look at all the cookies, fill a glass of water and get myself away from there as fast as I can...
My body tells me when I need to drink by making me feel thirsty. Works pretty well most of the time. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones :)
That is also a good routine to set deadlines instead of hourly goals.
I drink a lot of water during the day so I can waste time filling up my Nalgene, and I can waste time going to the bathroom.