Dear all people giving habit advice
What most people think are habits - including all the posts about "Billionaires use these 5 habits "are most probably routines.
We have to understand that building habits are challenging, particularly when they don't offer immediate rewards to the brain, and also when so many other things in the environment are competing for our brains attention.
It is important to read up on the science (not pop science) of habits, and understand them, but to also understand the strategies we have to change behavior -which are not all about habits.
A while ago Nir Eyal wrote a really nice article on this where he states a few things: (he is the author of both Hooked and Indistractable) - yes, he did introduce tech people to "habits" for products - which seem to be adopted by some as addictions for products - however, he also created a book to break the distractions - which is great! (ideas evolve and we learn from them)
Here is what Nir wrote
"When people say they want something to become a “habit” they mean they want it to be effortless. Wouldn’t it be great, the thinking goes, if we could do unfun tasks like exercising, eating healthy, or writing daily, on autopilot? Unfortunately, we can’t.
a) To change a behavior you need to understand the difference between a habit and a routine. Otherwise, it’s like using the blunt end of a screwdriver to bash in a nail.
b) Knowing when to use the right tool for the job can prevent frustration and help you accomplish your goals.
c) A habit is an impulse to do a behavior with little or no conscious thought. Not doing a habit feels uncomfortable, like not washing your hands after using the toilet or not flossing your teeth before bed.
d) A routine is a behavior frequently repeated. Unlike a habit, skipping a routine doesn’t feel bad and without proper forethought, can be easily skipped or forgotten.
e) Some routines can become habits but only if it’s a behavior that can be done with little conscious thought.
f) Trying to turn a behavior that requires a lot of effort (like writing or breaking a physical fitness record) into a habit will backfire if you expect it to become effortless.
g) Forming a habit requires first sticking to a routine. To do that, make time in your schedule, expect and learn to cope with discomfort, and find ways to pre-commit to the task".
This is a great explanation, so please as a influencer, consultant, tech person, change person etc... don't sell people on easy habits - it's wrong, it sets an unrealistic expectation and it is in the end hurting people who can't live up to these "easy habits".
There are many tools and behavior change techniques that can be used to help us be better, to make better decisions and get better outcomes.
You need all of them, because progress needs all the help it can get, and it seldomly is done by selling people on "easy habits".