Hydration Hack: The Art of Accountability

Everything's better with a personal touch. Cards with gifts or even personalising the gifts themselves. Things become more meaningful and carry more personal and sentimental value. 

What if we apply this to gifting oneself the habit of hydration? 

I’ve always aimed to drink my daily recommended 3.7 litres of water (it’s 2.7 for women). Ever since I learned about this seemingly absurd amount, I’ve tried ridiculously hard to meet this recommendation and I got there. It’s clearly paid off since everyone thinks I look ten years younger. But it wasn’t always so easy. I used to carry around a glass of water wherever I was. I’d gulp down a glassful, refill it and carry it around; a questionable strategy at best considering my house constantly looked like the aftermath of a water-only party with half full glasses on every surface. And let’s not even talk about my desk at work or how I left cups around like a trail that always led back to me. But hey, at least I started looking fresher than everyone else. 

Enter the age of the insulated water bottle. A revelation! My trusty water supply was A- always cold, and B- clearly mine; I have a bright yellow 1.2 litre bottle, who else could it belong to? I always thought it was a brilliant life hack, there was a steady supply of water marked for me. If I had two of them a day, I’d meet my recommended amount. But alas, life gets in the way. Especially in the office. It’s so easy to postpone taking that one sip that’ll make all the difference. 

That’s until I read Making Accountable Decisions: A Journey to an Accountable Life. I was genuinely inspired to hold myself to decisions that I make or don’t make. I had decided to hydrate properly, so why wasn’t I doing it?

I tackled the issue like any business task: I assigned it to myself and put my name on it. Quite literally. I now carry a big ol’ personalised water bottle that is clearly marked AHMED ALI. There’s no escaping my assigned task now. 

The benefits of carrying your own personalised water bottle aren’t just hygienic. Yes, you don’t have to worry about contamination etc. but that’s not the only point. I’ve now become comfortable with the fact that hydrating is a daily task, just like all the others on my to-do list. And I am holding myself accountable to achieving this daily task. “I forgot” is no longer a valid excuse to give myself at the end of the day. It’s right there, reminding me like a notification!
AHMED ALI says the big, personalised water bottle. Accountability is the name of the game.