The Strategy of Scheduling, of setting a specific, regular time for an activity to recur, is one of the most familiar and powerful strategies of habit formation. Scheduling makes us far more likely to convert an activity into a habit.
Habits grow strongest and fastest when they’re repeated in predictable ways, and for most of us putting an activity on the schedule tends to lock us into doing it.
To apply the Strategy of Scheduling, we must decide when, and how often, a habit should occur. Generally, advice about habit formation focuses on fixed habits—that is, habits that always happen in the same way, without conscious thought. Every day I’m up and brushing my teeth before I know it; I put on my seat belt; I meditate after I get dressed.
However, I’ve noticed that I have both fixed habits and unfixed habits.
via One Of The Most Important Strategies For Changing Your Habits | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.