Habits are programmed human behaviors with little or zero conscious thought. Habits free our minds to other things, but our behavior isn’t always on autopilot. There are many tasks that require concentration, deliberation, and effort, and cannot be simply fed in the brain as an automatic habit.

• Start the right behavior: Be clear that certain behaviors can be routines (requiring a deliberate effort) but can never become habits.
• Allocate time: Set up an implementation intention to plan to do something, setting aside a specific time for the activity.

If we are procrastinating instead of doing a certain task, telling ourselves that we would it later, it is a sure sign that the task isn’t a habit which can be done on autopilot but is, in fact, a routine.

Anything that requires effort is easy to forget or postpone.