Week 3: Tiny Habits – Jennifer Cheung

I struggle with remembering to stay hydrated throughout the day. Consistently drinking enough water has always been a problem for me, even though I know it is essential for my general wellbeing. This is because I am usually sedentary in doing work, and don’t often feel too thirsty. I have been trying to drink more, but simply don’t remember to keep drinking water throughout the day. The motivation to stay hydrated falls under Hope/Fear, because I look forward to the positive effects of drinking more water. I have high motivation and ability to drink water, but it is simply a matter of reminding myself to implement it deeper into my daily activities.

This is why I have chosen to take a sip of water each time I open my laptop. As a student, I spend an large amount of time on my computer. Because I open my laptop often throughout the day, this would be an effective trigger to get me to drink more water. This would be a better system than drinking every time I open my phone, since I use it much more often than my computer, which could lead to an excess of water intake, and more realistically, would not be an efficient or effective motivator. Choosing my laptop as a trigger works better because I would be situated at a desk with easy access to my water bottle. This would be a very simple habit to implement because the act of drinking water every time my laptop is opened works with all six elements of simplicity. Hopefully, I will be able to make this into a consistent habit and become healthier.

Leave a Reply