Habits vs. Skills: What's the Difference?

Skills vs. habits. Habits vs. skills. What's the difference?

Bound by language, experts in behavioral science tend to struggle as they attempt to delineate the two. (See Zen koan above).
 
MG suggests these scientists are missing the most important aspect of their relationship: How similar habits and skills are!

There are many favorable reasons to regard habits and skills as nearly identical.
 
First, it helps to remove the predominately negative connotation that habits carry. Skills are rarely, if ever, thought of as "bad" or negative.

Second, it reinforces how POSITIVE HABIT BUILDING FOLLOWS THE SAME PROCESS AS SKILL BUILDING. This is precisely what The Habit Factor's P.A.R.R. method has taught since 2010.
 
When it comes to developing good habits, the same sort of desire, effort, and practice is required that skills demand. Which underscores how ineffective "The Habit Loop" is when it comes to intentional habit building.

Further, by juxtaposing P.A.R.R. against "The four levels of competence" model, developed by Martin M. Broadwell, we can see how both habit and skill capability improve similarly.

LEVEL ONE: Unconscious Incompetence:
I don't even know that tying my shoes will be helpful.

LEVEL TWO: Conscious Incompetence:
I've just started to learn, and I'm really struggling.

LEVEL THREE: Conscious Competence: I'm much better at tying my shoes now, and it's getting easier.

LEVEL FOUR:  Unconscious Competence: The highest level: I tie my shoes without even looking or much thought!

Level four is where both habits and skills share the greatest similarity and, interestingly enough, they reside in the same place in the brain!.

It always takes effort and practice to develop good habits, just like it does for skills.
 
Enjoy the show!