I Don't vs. I Can't

Just read this great article by James Clear How to Say No, Resist Temptation, and Stick to Your Health Goals where he discusses the difference between saying “I can’t do x” vs saying “I don’t do x”. The difference in outcomes is greater than I thought.

While he is discussing the use of this phraseology with regard to health and exercise, it strikes me as very applicable to other areas of life also:

  • I don’t miss my morning walk
  • I don’t do social media until after my morning work session
  • I don’t interrupt others

I will spend some time thinking about how best I can benefit from this “don’t vs can’t” thinking.

Written on February 9, 2018