"A habit is an already formed reaction to a situation or answer to a problem. Because it is already formed, it develops a certain inertia and resistance to change. But when a situation changes, our reaction to it should also change or be ready to change quickly. Therefore, the presence of a habit may be worse than no reaction at all, since the habit guarantees resistance to and delay in building up the newly necessary reaction to the new situation." ~ Abraham Maslow, Motivation and Personality
The paradox (unintended consequence) of habit is that even an action we consider as a "good habit" can have bad results if the habit closes the door to personal growth, which requires new reactions to new opportunities or, as Maslow iterates, no reaction at all.
Much of life is randomness and transience; habit is the antithesis of randomness and transience; therefore the mindless continuance of habit can lead to useless activity, which is no better than inertia.
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Related:
The Paradox of Habit Part II: Antonyms of Creative Thought
The Interception of Entropy
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