About BeyondAllPages
Intellect over mind
A tool for changing one habit at a time, with ideas from the books that explain how habits work.
Why it was made
“I can't change” is usually the wrong conclusion.
Books about habits are full of good ideas. Most get read, highlighted and forgotten, and the habit stays where it was. After enough of that, “I can't change” starts to feel like the only conclusion.
It usually isn't. What fails is the approach: one idea at a time, kept in your head, with willpower doing the rest. Habits give way to several ideas aimed at one specific habit, tried one after another, each with a plan for the exact moment the habit starts.
BeyondAllPages began as one reader's system for testing mental models from books on real habits, and keeping an honest record of what worked and what didn't. It is now that system, built as a tool anyone can use.
What it does
It turns ideas from books into a plan for one habit, then helps you keep at it.
A library of mental models
Ideas taken from the books worth reading, each with a one-line definition, the obstacle it deals with and what to expect when you try it.
Ready-made stacks
Common habits, from exercising daily to quitting smoking, each with the models to try first and an if-then plan to start from.
Build your own stack
Name any habit and search the library by meaning, not only by keyword. The closest models come first; add the ones that fit.
An if-then plan for each model
Decide what you will do at the moment the habit starts: “If I finish my morning coffee, then I will put on my shoes.” That is what turns an idea into an action.
Progress that forgives
Check in once a day. A missed day dents your progress instead of wiping it out, because one bad day is not a pattern.
Stacks from the community
Share a stack anonymously, upvote the ones that help, and read what worked and what didn't on the wall.
How it works
- Choose one habit, or start from a ready-made stack.
- Aim a few mental models at it, each with its own if-then plan.
- Check in each day and note what's working. Keep what works; swap what doesn't.
About
Anirudh Muhnot
I read books for their mental models, then test them on my own habits. BeyondAllPages is where I keep what I find: one habit, a stack of models to aim at it, and an honest record of what worked and what didn't.
Most habits don't give way to one idea. They give way to several, tried one after another. That is what the dashboard is for.
Questions, corrections, a model I should try:anirudhmuhnot@icloud.com
Contact
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Every message lands in my inbox and I read all of them. The more specific you are, the more useful my reply can be.
You can use this form to
- Suggest a book I should cover
- Suggest a mental model for the library
- Suggest a ready-made stack that worked for you
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- A mental model or a book I should cover
- Something on the site that is wrong or broken
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