I came across some water trackers a few months after I first started bullet journaling. I was browsing through Pinterest for new spread ideas and found a page where you could count the amount of water you had that day.
Now, I have never been a big water drinker (or drinker of much else really.) I wasn’t dehydrated per se but I definitely wasn’t getting the right amount of water. So I thought I would give it a try. And it has changed so much for me!
Water trackers are simply a way for you to track how much water you had to drink that day. Bullet journals are great for lots of reasons and for me, this is one of them.
Let’s get into it so that you can experience the same amazing changes that I did!
Why You Need Water Trackers
Tracking how much water I drink every day has been incredibly beneficial to me. I feel like I have more energy now and like I can get more done with my day. We might not realize the role that water plays in our daily lives but it does make a pretty big difference.
A lot of people are getting by on a cup or two of water a day when you actually need a lot more. The recommended amount of water is 8 cups (around 2 litres for those who don’t live in the US). However, scientists are starting to believe that more water might be necessary. (You can read more about that here.) (I am not in any way, shape or form, a doctor, so take this information with a grain of salt.)
I aim for 8 cups of water a day. Whatever amount of water you choose to aim for is great as long as it works for you!
Yes, the increase in water drinking is a benefit of keeping a water tracker but the most notable change you will see is an increase in awareness. Before I had a water tracker, I had no idea how much water I was drinking. (It was low. 2-3 cups maybe.)
Keeping a water tracker helped me to realize how much water I was drinking and how much water I need to drink a day. It might not seem like much but that awareness is what motivated me to keep going with my water intake challenge.
In my opinion, awareness is the first step to change!
How to Use Water Trackers
Using a water tracker is pretty simple on paper. It’s the actual tracking that can be a little difficult.
Let’s start with the tracker. To track your water intake, you simply need to choose a measurement and mark how often you reach that goal. For instance, I track my water intake in cups. That way, when I drink 8 cups of water, I mark off 8 cups of water. When I have 4 cups, I mark 4. And so on.
You can choose other forms of measurement too. Sometimes I track how often I drink a full glass of water during the day, so that’s a possibility for you. You can also track litres in quarters (1/4 of a litre, 1/2 of a litre,…).
It doesn’t matter what form of measurement you choose as long as you can understand it and track it!
Now, tracking your water intake isn’t the easier thing. It’s not something most of us do so it takes time to get used to it. Don’t force yourself to immediately drink 8 cups of water every day. It will take plenty of time for you to build it up, especially if you are used to drinking so little water. Take it slow at first.
The hardest part, in my experience, is just remembering to track each cup of water. Sometimes I drink a glass of water without realizing or adding it to my tally. This is why I suggest that you mark down every cup (or other measurements) every time you finish it. At least at first, you’ll have an easier time tracking your water intake if you track them individually and not as a total at the end of the day.
With time, you’ll build up your awareness and you won’t have to mark it down every time. However, it takes time. Don’t rush the process!
Design/Style of Water Trackers
There are lots of different designs and styles for water trackers! Some are simple and some are more complex but they all work.
First, we have a simple water tracker. It’s basically as simple as you can go. You have a box for each measurement and you mark them. Here is an example where I have 8 boxes for each day. I only need to mark those boxes with an X for each cup of water I had that day.
You can’t go wrong with this design! For the water tracker below, all you need to do is colour in the boxes according to how much water you drank. It’s similar to the tracker above but you use colour to fill in the squares instead of Xs.
Of course, you can have pretty designs as your water trackers too! You simply use an element of your theme that has 8 (or how many you chose) sides or pieces. In the picture below, I used flowers with 8 petals. All I needed to do was colour in the petals according to how much water I had to drink that day. I think this might be my favourite style of water tracking.
You can add your water tracker right to your habit tracker. It is a little more advanced because you have to know the amount of water you had that day instead of marking them down individually but it works just as well. In the spread below, I have one square per day. I simply wrote down the number of cups of water I had that day in the squares.
You can separate your water tracker from your habit tracker and still use the same method of writing in the number of cups you had to drink that day. That’s what I did here!
Last but not least, you can have a water tracker where you use an item designated for a certain number. At the bottom of the spread, I have little pieces that have their own numbers. When I have that amount of water, I simply draw that item under the date. This one is a little more complicated but it’s still fun and pretty!
I’m sure there are plenty of other designs for water trackers out there! New styles are being created all the time!
In All,
Water trackers can be a great tool to both improve your water intake and your awareness of your health. It will take some time to adjust to having a water tracker but it’s worth it in the end! Let me know which style of water tracker is your favourite in the comments below!
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