Every January, we make the same promise. “This is the year I’ll drink more water!” And every February, the water bottle is forgotten, the reminders are ignored, and hydration quietly falls off the list. If that sounds familiar, it’s not a willpower problem. It could be a habit problem.
It’s the water.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, puts it simply: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
The good news? Drinking more water does not require discipline or forcing yourself to chug glasses all day. It just requires better systems. Let’s build a few:
1. Make Water Easy to Reach
One of the core ideas in Atomic Habits is to make good habits obvious and easy. If water is not within arm’s reach, you will forget about it, or it will seem like too much effort when the run of the day gets hold of you. Clear calls this reducing friction. The less effort a habit requires, the more likely it will stick.
Try this instead:
- Keep a reusable bottle at your desk, in your bag, or in your car.
- Refill it at the same time every day, like after breakfast or when you get home.
- Place it where your eyes naturally land, not tucked in a cabinet.
By always having water nearby, you’ll set yourself up for winning.
2. Add a Little Flavor (Without the Sugar)
Image alt text: Four bottles on a blue plain background with infused water with colorful lemon, orange, cucumber or grapefruit slices
Another way to set yourself up for winning is to make new habits satisfying. If water feels boring now, you will subconsciously avoid it. Small upgrades can change that completely:
- Infuse water with lemon, lime, mint, cucumber, or berries. Rotate flavors so it stays interesting.
- Try sparkling water if you enjoy the texture. Infuse that as well!
- Try cold brew with herbal tea bags: Simply infuse water in the fridge overnight with 4-5 tea bags per quart. Discard tea bags and enjoy throughout the day with some ice and/or lemon. Maybe start with a squirt of honey at first, and then wean yourself off sweetening it at all.
Talking about making drinking water easier, how much better would it be if clean, filtered water came out of your kitchen tap? Many Northern California homeowners already choose filtered and purified drinking water systems, so you don’t even have to remember buying more bottled water or carrying heavy cases from and to your car. Having filtered drinking water in your kitchen will stop making hydration feel like a chore.
3. Go the extra mile with remineralization
4. Track It, But Keep It Simple
Tracking works, but only if it does not feel like work. In Atomic Habits, Clear explains that habits fail when the system is too complicated. Simplicity wins.
Options to track yourself that are easy:
- A quick tally mark on a notepad.
- A recurring daily reminder on your native smartphone reminders app or a dedicated app such as WaterMinder, Waterllama, Hydro Coach, and Plant Nanny
- A glass of water tied to existing routines (with coffee, before meals, before bed).
- A smart bottle that reminds you automatically (such as HidrateSpark PRO Smart Water Bottle)
The key is consistency. As Clear says, “Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
5. Quality Makes Quantity Easier
If your water smells off or tastes strange, you will avoid it. That’s human nature. Across Northern California, many homes deal with hard water, chlorine taste, or sediment. Even when water meets safety standards, those issues can quietly discourage people from drinking enough.
Cleaner, better-tasting water lowers the mental resistance. When water tastes good, you do not need reminders or motivation. You just reach for another glass.
If you are unsure what is affecting your water, a quick water quality quiz or a free at-home water test with one of our technicians can give you clarity without pressure.
Small Wins Add Up
You do not need to hit a perfect number every day. James Clear reminds us that habits compound. One extra glass of water a day does not feel dramatic, but over weeks and months, it becomes a real change. Progress beats perfection.
If you live anywhere in Northern California and want to make water the easiest resolution to keep this year, Culligan can help with better-tasting solutions and free water testing.
“Our water is spring water quality now. Thank you Culligan!!”
– Kira S., Google Maps
If drinking more water is on your list this year, make it easy on yourself. Start with better water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Needs vary by person. Focus on drinking more than you did before, not chasing a perfect number. The recommendation is about 15.5 cups of fluids a day for men. About 11.5 cups of fluids a day for women (U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
Yes. When water tastes better, people naturally drink more. A 2022 study among U.S. adults found that using a water filter was associated with higher odds of drinking more than 3 cups of tap water per day.
No. They are helpful for some people, but simple systems like making drinking water a habit that sticks work just as well.
A free at-home water test by Culligan of Chico can identify taste, hardness, and other common issues affecting your home. The analysis of your tap water will be carried out by an experienced technician.
