> Either people aren't aware of an optimal strategy (if one exists) or they ignore it for various reason.
And my point was precisely that it often doesn't exist. What is an optimal strategy?
> People know they should exercise, get enough sleep, eat healthy, stay hydrated, tackle high priority tasks instead of procrastinating, etc. - and yet they still aren't doing those things (or as much as they should).
> Knowing something is not enough.
Your example doesn't even support this. People know they have to get enough sleep but they also know they have to <insert something else>. It depends on what they are optimizing for. i.e. there is no singular optimal strategy.
You've just proved my point rather than yours.
I don't know if knowing is not enough, but clearly the people in your example don't know what the optimal strategy is. E.g. eating healthy is NOT the optimal strategy as it could make them unhappy (e.g. don't like the taste). It's not optimal unless it's strictly better.