How much water do you need on a daily basis? I mean, how much do you really need?
You’ve no doubt budgeted money for a specific event like a music festival or baseball game, and probably without a ton of thought. Those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to have a limitless supply of cash have to stick within our means, and knowing what you have to work with helps guide you in certain decisions. It makes sense, and it’s a process we regularly apply in our daily lives. It’s the same with time.
You budget time every day at work. My job is like yours in the sense that there’s no such thing as getting everything done in a given day. There’s always more — another project, the next deadline, etc. — but you do as much as you can and come back the next day for more.
Budgeting water is a little different. Where I live, budgeting water isn’t a big concern. Northern Wisconsin is blessed with an abundance of water, but plenty of you are reading this in areas where that simply isn’t the case. I’m sure some of you have a handle on how much water you use on a daily basis, but I’d bet few of your customers really have any idea how many gallons of water they use each day. Most of them probably don’t even have a good idea how much they drink.
That latter piece is something I do pay attention to. I’m active and like to stay hydrated. I also mountain bike a lot and am used to thinking about if I’ll need to bring one water bottle or two, or if I’ll be able to loop back to my truck and grab a fresh bottle. But last weekend I went to an area I’m not especially familiar with and set out for a longer ride, so I had to figure out how much water I’d need for at least four hours and possibly more depending on circumstances and where the trail took me.
As it turns out, on a relatively cool late summer day, 2.5 liters and some light rationing was exactly what I needed for 7 1/2 hours on the bike. But that was just for drinking. If I’d had to budget my water for the ride, that glorious post-ride shower and everything else that day, I wouldn’t have known where to begin. I’m fairly confident most of your customers are in that same boat. If they had to guess how much water they use, they’d be way off, and that number would almost certainly be significantly less than what they actually use. And almost just as certainly, they could comfortably get by with less. I could feel my hydration pack getting lighter as that ride wore on, and if your customers’ had a daily water allotment sitting in a clear vessel of some sort and they could watch their supply drop, they’d be more careful. They wouldn’t waste. And they’d get by just fine.
The drought conditions and dwindling water supplies of the West might finally serve as that vessel because the signs are obvious. Our supply of fresh water isn’t limitless. How we use it today will dictate how we get to use it tomorrow. You already have plenty on your plates, but I hope you’re doing your best to educate customers about ways they can save without making any great sacrifices.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
