DAILY · Daily

I Said I Would Report Back About the Water

Five years ago I wrote that the reason I do not drink water is that the kettle is closer than the tap. I have finally done something about it.

{'key': 'nora', 'masthead': 'Nora Bennet', 'tagline': 'Documenting my days', 'author': 'Nora Bennet', 'advertiser': 'Lovedline', 'disclosure': 'Paid partnership with Lovedline', 'cta': 'See it on lovedline.com', 'logo': 'nora-logo.png', 'avatar': 'img/nora-portrait.jpg'} · September 2026 · 6 min read · 3 picks · lovedline.com

Four steps to the tap. That was the whole obstacle.

In 2021 I wrote a short, slightly embarrassed post about the fact that I do not drink water, I drink whatever is nearest, and the nearest thing is always tea. I ended it by saying I would report back. I did not report back.

The bit I got right

The claim in that post was that habits are furniture. You do not drink more water because you decided to. You drink more water because a container you like is sitting where your hand already goes.

Five years and several failed apps later I still think that is correct, and I think the reason it sounds too simple is that it is unflattering. Nobody wants the answer to be furniture.

Nobody wants the answer to be furniture.

The bit I got wrong

What I got wrong was the size. I kept buying small bottles because they fit in a bag, and a small bottle means refilling, and refilling is a decision, and a decision is a thing I can lose.

A large one removes the decision entirely. You fill it once in the morning and once after lunch and the day is done without you having thought about it at any point. That is the whole mechanism and it is not very inspiring.

What I have actually been using

Three of them, for honestly different reasons, and I am going to be straight about which is which because two of these are basically the same object in different clothes.

I should also say up front what I could not find out. None of these listings publish insulation hours, lid mechanism details, or whether the finish is dishwasher safe. I have asked. If those things decide it for you, ask before you buy rather than after.

The only honest measure

Do not buy the one you think you should want. Buy the one you will pick up without thinking, because that is the entire mechanism and everything else is decoration.

For me that turned out to be the stupid one, which I did not expect and am not thrilled about.

The picks

1 of 3

The stupid one, which is the one that works

It says silly goose on it. That is the product. I bought it as a joke for someone else, could not give it away, and have now carried it every day for a month.

The reason it works is not the joke, though the joke helps. It is the two-way lid: you can sip upright through the built-in straw at a desk, or tilt and drink from the spout on a walk. One bottle covering both behaviours is why a 32oz in this shape beats a bigger one you leave at home.

What I cannot tell you. No insulation hours, leakproof rating or dishwasher guidance published. It is also the cheapest thing in this post by some distance, which is worth knowing before you spend three times as much.

2 of 3

The one that lives on the desk

Espresso brown with gold detailing, and the reason I have it is embarrassing in a different way: by dwell time, the thing on your desk is one of the most-looked-at objects you own, and mine used to be a bright plastic bottle covered in stickers that belonged to a different decade of my life.

There is no slogan on it, no character and no season, so there is nothing about it to go out of date. That is the argument for the boring one.

What I cannot tell you. Check whether the gold finish is dishwasher safe before you commit; I hand wash mine and I do not know whether I need to.

3 of 3

The one I have opinions about

Functionally the same format as the one above: 40oz, handle, straw, fits the same routine. The difference is entirely that it looks like something and the other looks like nothing.

I am including it because the honest thing to say is that once you are past the mechanism, you are buying an object you have to look at all day, and taste is a real reason. It does not have to be a secret.

What I cannot tell you. Same missing detail as the others: no insulation hours and no lid spec published.

Questions I was asked

Will I actually use a big one, or will it sit there?: Buy the one you will pick up without thinking. That is the entire mechanism. For me it turned out to be the one with the joke on it rather than the handsome one, which I did not expect and am not thrilled about.
Does it keep things cold? Is it leakproof?: I do not know, and I am not going to invent a number. None of these listings publish insulation hours or a leakproof rating. If that decides it for you, ask before you buy.
Will it fit in my car?: Check the base diameter before ordering if you drive a lot. Large tumblers vary and a cup holder does not.

['So: report delivered, five years late. It was the size and the lid and where I put it, and none of it was willpower.', 'The 2021 post is still up if you want the original, more optimistic version of me.']
Nora