There are so, so many self-improvement apps out there. A few that I’ve tried, enjoyed, and ultimately stopped using when the motivation waned, are:
Fabulous
Finch
HabitRPG
SuperBetter
Not to mention the plethora of calorie counters, meditation apps, and let’s not forget the YouTube videos, podcasts, blogs (like this one!), and an entire library of self-help books.
I can’t say that I’ve tried them all. Frankly, I don’t have the time. But for a lot of these apps, the very first step you take is the simplest one possible. It gives you a win while you’re motivated to try it, a small hit of dopamine. And for the apps I mention by name above, the first step is very, very simple:
Drink a cup of water.
I’ve always liked that. It really is simple, it’s good for your body and your mind, and there aren’t many downsides.
Then the overwhelmed, overloaded, perfectionistic brain kicks in.
Drinking one glass of water isn’t a habit, though. It’s probably not even enough to change my pee color. That one influencer I like said I should be drinking a gallon a day if I want to lose weight. It was 64 oz per day for pretty much everyone when I grew up, but then it became half my body weight in ounces – but then I also heard that the half my bodyweight in ounces thing is only for ALL fluids taken in, which counts coffee or soda or tea or whatever else I have, should I count those? Isn’t coffee a diuretic? What about if I sweat because it’s hot or I’ve exercised, do I have to add more? I can’t drink all my water at once cause that can cause water intoxication and that can literally kill you. So how do I space that out throughout the day? What if I forget to drink my morning glass of water, do I double up in the afternoon? Should I add celtic sea salt to my water, or is that only if I’m on a low carb diet? Should I try Watertok, snake juice, LMNT? Should I get that latest Stanley cup so that I can look more popular? But my coworker has a Yeti–
Stop. Relax. I’ve had all of those thoughts. Information overload in the digital age has us taking this really simple thing and spiraling out until it’s nearly unrecognizable, and that adds friction to something that should be really simple.
When you want to do a thing, A) remove the friction from it and B) add enjoyment to it.1
- Get a Brita pitcher (n/a if you have one of those fancy fridges or work somewhere with a water cooler).
- Pick any two cups you like. I like Yetis, because I like cold water and local businesses.
- If you like reusable straws, get at least two of those.
- Fill one cup with water, and put it wherever you spend most of your time (I work from home, so that’s at my desk). Drink it when you want to drink something.
- Refill your cup whenever it’s empty, and refill your Brita pitcher before you leave the kitchen. Bonus: More steps for your Fitbit!
- After a day or so, swap for the other cup so you can clean the first one.
Don’t worry about counting your ounces. Don’t worry about any of those add-ins, unless you really like them (or you have a dietary need). Don’t overcomplicate it in a way that adds friction.
Do get some cute cups that make you smile. Do get some straws if it makes it more natural for you to drink when thirsty. Do romanticize water a little in your head if it helps – cool, fresh, clear, crisp, icy and refreshing and exactly what you need. Heck, go check out HydroHomies on reddit, they’re fun and pretty wholesome.
Then check those boxes and revel in the dopamine of taking a step to improve your circumstances.
We got this.
- James Clear really popularized the concept of friction in his book Atomic Habits, which I really do appreciate, even if I’ve overdone it in the past. Friction is also used in the business world for things preventing a customer from buying stuff, but that’s not relevant to this situation. ↩︎
