It has been said that people control habits, but habits control destinies. It is a good part in our lives is spent in a habitual fashion. Much of our daily behavior is patterned and routine. Habits by definition are behaviors that have been performed so often that they have become automatic. This means that habitual behavior operates just below our consciousness threshold. When we are preoccupied, or acting habitually, we are not free to manage our time. We are not simply as alert as when we are acting non habitually. Managing time requires accurate observation of what is taking place.
People tend to assume that habits are always bad. This is not true. Many habits are quite beneficial. If we had to consciously decide on everything we did during the day, life would become quite unbearable. Once we learn to do something well, automatic habit control is a blessing.
