WoW newbie looking for advice

[Lissa]

There's a difference between habit and just blindly mashing the same key sequence every time. Really, the best habit to get into is choosing the proper spell rotation for the situation. If you get too set in "I always cast things this way" then you end up lost when things go wrong and you need to assess and adapt on the fly. So, really, learn the best sequence for solo, the best sequence for small group, the best sequence for large group and you'll end up with a much better array of tools in your toolbox and hopefully the ability to choose the proper tools for the job.

Except at higher levels, the spell rotation I've stated becomes the most efficient rotation. Getting locked into the idea of the early rotation being a good rotation as you get higher and higher sets you into bad habits that become hard to break.

It's similar to leveling an affiction warlock and I shake my head everytime I see someone complain about how they can't work with their Blueberry to have him hold aggro and when you find out their rotation, you just have to wonder. Casting something like Mind Blast first is akin to sending in your Blueberry and casting Immolation first followed up by Corruption and Curse of Agony. You'll rip the mob off the Blueberry by following a rotation like that and the same thing happens if you get into the idea of soloing starting off with Mind Blast first when dealing with a tank. Starting with your DoTs prepares you in more ways that one and while it may be inefficient at low levels, it teachs you fundamentals that will help you in all environments later in the game, be it soloing, small group, 5 man instance, 10 man raid, and 25 man raid. It is better to build off inefficency at lower levels to have you in the mindset you need for the upper levels because what appears efficient at lower levels is going to be problematic at higher levels.