Understanding the Knowing-Doing Gap and the Beliefs That Create It
The Problem: The Knowing-Doing Gap
You know what to do. You have the information. You understand the steps.
But you’re not doing it.
This gap between what you know and what you do is called the knowing-doing gap. Dr. Nick Hall coined this term to describe a phenomenon most of us experience: We have the knowledge to improve our circumstances, but we’re not acting on it.
For those with ADHD, this gap is especially painful because we’re aware of it. We’re smart enough to see we’re not bridging it. And that awareness makes it hurt more.
The Knowing-Doing Gap Isn’t About Knowledge
Here’s what most people get wrong:
They think the gap is because they don’t have enough information. So they seek more information. They buy more courses. They read more books. They hope that eventually, enough knowledge will bridge the gap.
But that’s not the problem.
The knowing-doing gap exists because of your beliefs.
Not because you lack discipline. Not because you’re broken. Not because you don’t care.
Your beliefs are creating an invisible barrier between knowing and doing.
How Beliefs Create the Knowing-Doing Gap
Here’s the cycle:
You know: I should follow my calendar You believe: “I can’t manage my time” Result: You don’t follow your calendar OR you try and abandon it when it gets hard
You know: I should break down my projects You believe: “Breaking things down is too much work” Result: You don’t break things down and feel overwhelmed
You know: I should ask for help You believe: “I should be able to do this myself” Result: You struggle alone
In every case, the belief is what’s creating the gap.
Most of your gap isn’t about lack of knowledge. It’s about a belief that contradicts what you know is true.
Where Do These Beliefs Come From? (Hand-Me-Down Beliefs)
Here’s something crucial: Most of your limiting beliefs aren’t even yours.
They’re what I call “hand-me-down beliefs.”
Someone handed you a belief years ago. A parent said you weren’t organized. A teacher said you couldn’t follow through. A coach said you were lazy. Someone on the playground said something that stuck.
You just… accepted it. You decided it was true. And you’ve been carrying it ever since.
Now you’re using that inherited belief to explain why you can’t bridge the knowing-doing gap.
But it’s not your belief. It’s just one you accepted without questioning.
The Backpack Analogy
Imagine you’re carrying a backpack of beliefs about yourself. Some are light and serve you:
- “I’m smart”
- “I can learn”
- “I’m a good friend”
Some are heavy and are weighing you down:
- “I can’t stick with things”
- “I can’t manage my time”
- “I’m not disciplined”
- “I’ve never been able to…”
Most people never question the heavy ones. They just keep carrying them, getting more tired, and wondering why the knowing-doing gap exists.
But here’s what’s happening: The heavy beliefs are creating the gap.
You know what to do, but the belief says you can’t do it. So you don’t.
The Thoughts-Feelings-Actions Chain
Your thoughts create your feelings. Your feelings determine your actions. Your actions create your results.
So if you’re thinking “I can’t do this” (the belief):
- You feel defeated (the feeling)
- You don’t take action (the action)
- You get poor results (the result)
And then the belief confirms itself: “See, I knew I couldn’t do this.”
This is why bridging the gap starts with your thoughts and beliefs, not with more knowledge.
Self-Sabotage: How You Keep the Gap in Place
This is the part that might blow your mind: You sabotage yourself to protect your beliefs.
Here’s how:
You believe: “I can’t stick with things”
You start sticking with something (the gap is closing!)
Your brain gets uncomfortable (the belief is being challenged)
Your brain says: “I need to fix this”
You sabotage yourself and quit
Now the gap is back and your belief is protected
You’ve unconsciously created failure to keep your belief safe.
This is why people get stuck in the same patterns. They’re not aware they’re sabotaging themselves.
But once you see it? You can stop doing it.
Fear in the Knowing-Doing Gap
Fear is another major component of the gap.
And fear is always about the future. It’s always about what might happen if you take action.
Fear of failure: “If I try and fail, what does that mean about me?” Fear of success: “If I succeed, things will change” Fear of judgment: “What will people think?”
All of these fears keep you in the gap. Because as long as you don’t act, the feared thing can’t happen.
Your brain protects you by keeping you stuck.
But here’s the truth: The fear is based on a belief. And the belief may not even be true.
Why Motivation Doesn’t Matter
You’ve been waiting for motivation to bridge the gap.
But motivation is unreliable. It shows up when it wants, leaves without warning.
Most people think: “When I feel motivated, I’ll take action.”
But that’s backwards.
Take action first. The motivation follows.
When you take one small action, you feel more capable. When you feel capable, you believe more in yourself. When you believe in yourself, you take more action.
The gap closes through action, not through feeling.
The 3 Questions That Reveal Everything
Dr. Hall offers three questions that help identify what’s blocking you:
1. What is the problem? This identifies your goal or what you want to do.
2. What is the solution? This is what you need to do to solve the problem.
3. Why am I not doing that? This reveals the belief or fear underneath.
When you answer #3, dig deeper. Keep asking “why?”
Usually, you’ll find something like:
- “I don’t believe I can do it”
- “I’m afraid of what will happen”
- “I think I should be able to do this without help”
- “I think it’s too hard”
That’s your belief. That’s what’s creating the gap.
Reframing: The Tool That Closes the Gap
Reframing means saying the same thing in a different way—in a way that serves you.
Example 1: Old belief: “I can’t stick with things” New belief: “I’m learning to stick with things when they matter to me”
Do you feel the difference? One is fixed. One is growth.
Example 2: Old belief: “I don’t have willpower” New belief: “I’m building the skill of following through”
Example 3: Old belief: “This is too hard” New belief: “This is hard, and I can do hard things”
When you reframe, you’re not lying. You’re choosing to focus on what’s also true.
And that changes everything.
How to Bridge Your Knowing-Doing Gap
Step 1: Identify the gap Name it specifically. “I know I should [X], but I don’t.”
Step 2: Ask the 3 questions What is the problem? What is the solution? Why am I not doing that?
Step 3: Identify the belief What belief is underneath this gap?
Step 4: Question the belief Is it actually true? Have there been exceptions?
Step 5: Reframe it What’s another way to think about this that’s also true but serves me better?
Step 6: Take one small action The gap closes through action, not thinking. Take one small step.
Step 7: Notice the proof When you act and see it’s possible, you’re building evidence that the new belief is true.
For Those With ADHD: A Special Word
Here’s what I want you to hear:
You are brilliant, creative, amazing people.
You know what to do. And I really believe that’s what makes the knowing-doing gap so painful for those of us with ADHD.
Were we ignorant, we wouldn’t feel out of alignment with who we are.
You feel the pain of the gap because you’re smart enough to see it.
But your beliefs are blocking you from bridging that gap.
And that’s actually good news. Because you can change your beliefs.
You can’t change your ADHD. But you can change the beliefs you have about your ADHD.
Your Next Step
You know something you should do but you’re not doing.
Stop focusing on the knowledge side (you already have that). Focus on the belief side.
Ask yourself: What belief is keeping me from taking action?
Write it down. Question it. Reframe it.
Then take one small action.
That’s how you close the gap—not through more knowledge, but through changed beliefs and consistent action.
Resources:
📚 “I Know What To Do, So Why Don’t I Do It?” by Nick Hall, Ph.D. (available on Audible)
📄 Free Knowing-Doing Gap Workbook → learntothrivewithadhd.com/freeresources/
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Watch the video on Youtube or Listen to the Episode