The Importance of Habits

Every action requires two kinds of effort in order to get done. An intrinsic effort that depends on the action and an effort to decide whether or not to execute the action. Habits can modify the first, but the main reason they work is that they eliminate the second type of effort. As you read more difficult books, you get better at reading so it doesn't require as much energy. Flossing hasn't gotten any easier the hundredth time I've done it, but I've stopped thinking about whether or not I should do it.