In Formal Practice our purpose is to practice. We put on our jammies, go to our special place, invoke ritual and ceremony and repeat our form, exercise or technique in an iterative fashion.
A formal practice habit is a requirement of this course. As I have mentioned before and will mention again knowing about Kung Fu is not the same as having Kung Fu in the same way being able to read the map does not mean we can get to the mountain top. You have to do the work in order to get the skill.
Another aspect of establishing a Formal Practice, a ritual, a religion if that's not to scary a word is that it activates intent. The act of dedicating and ritualizing your practice commands the superconscious mind to make it so. Every session is an initiation ritual, the only difference is your hazing yourself. Seriously though, society is rife with examples of ritual being used to coordinate belief and behavior. Its a powerful thing, a simple but effective form of positive reinforcement in which to root your training habit.
A few guidelines for developing Formal Practice
Find a suitable spot relatively free of distractions. Make sure its a place you are comfortable in and your family/friends are comfortable with you in it. Personally I have several spots I use depending on the weather and circumstances. I like the outside deck on nice days and prefer the soft carpet in the living room for ground work and stretching.