'Not trying to' doesn't mean the same thing as 'trying not to'.

I see so many people saying the former, when they mean the latter.

'Not trying to' means no effort is being made (to do the thing) but not stopping it from happening either. 'Trying not to' means effort is being made (to not do the thing).

The difference may be subtle in some cases, but if I tell you 'Don't knock over the glass' and you say 'I'm not trying to', that's not enough. You're not purposely knocking it over, but you're not avoiding it either If you say 'I'm trying not to', it means you're actively avoiding it. .

Not the end of the world, but it bugs me.