Akrasia: Why You Know What to Do but Still Don’t Do It

Let’s talk about something most people suffer from but don’t even know the name of: akrasia.

It’s a fancy Greek word for a very dumb human problem:

Knowing the right thing to do — and then not doing it.

We’ve all been there. You know eating a piece of chicken would be better than pounding a bag of neon-orange Cheetos at 11 p.m. But you grab the Cheetos. You know you should be at the gym today — you even said you were going to the gym today — but Netflix and your couch seduced you like a siren pulling sailors to their death.

You’re not ignorant. You’re not stupid. You know. You just didn’t act.

That’s akrasia.

And akrasia doesn’t just wreck your nutrition or training. It gets people killed.

Think about this: A lot of people go buy a firearm because they want to “be safe.” They might even take it to the range a couple times. They think they’re prepared. But when the moment comes — when a violent criminal is standing in front of them, when adrenaline is surging, when their heart rate is spiking through the roof — their mind freezes. Their hands shake. They forget everything they thought they knew.

Because knowing and doing are not the same thing.

Training Beats Knowing

The cure for akrasia is simple — but brutal: training.

You don’t rise to the level of what you “know.” You fall to the level of your training.

That’s why we drill technique after technique in Krav Maga. That’s why we repeat the basics until people are sick of them. That’s why conditioning, strength, and nutrition matter.

When life punches you in the face — literally or metaphorically — you won’t have time to think. You will default to whatever your body and mind have been trained to do under pressure.

If your training is “open bag of Cheetos, insert into mouth,” that’s what you’ll do.
If your training is “skip the gym, watch another episode,” that’s what you’ll do.
If your training is “own a gun but never train with it,” that’s what you’ll do when danger comes: nothing.

The Real Enemy Isn’t Ignorance — It’s Inaction

Most people today don’t need more knowledge. They already know broccoli is better than fries. They know walking into the gym will beat sitting on the couch. They know that training with a firearm is smarter than just owning one.

But knowledge without action is useless.

If you want results, you need to beat akrasia. That means:

• Train your body until discipline is automatic.

• Train your mind until hesitation dies.

• Train your skills until your default reaction under pressure is the right one.

Because when the moment comes — whether it’s a fight, a health scare, or just the battle against your own excuses — your life won’t reward you for what you know. It’ll punish you for what you didn’t do.

So ask yourself today:
Are you living in akrasia — knowing but not doing?
Or are you training yourself to act when it matters?

The choice is yours.

And here’s the truth:
You already know what to do.
Now it’s time to actually do it.