Frequently asked questions
What is Inward?
Inward is a platform that helps you get to know yourself better, and to work to follow how your life is evolving. The app guides you through a series of questions that measure how your life is progressing. As you answer each question, you’re prompted to make journal notes on the recent events and decisions that guided your responses, as well as actions you resolve to into the future.
What do I need to do to get started?
First, you’ll need to set up a username and password.
Once you’re set up as a user, you’re ready to complete your first survey.
How do I prepare for using the app?
Inward will prompt you to take a series of deep breaths before you start each reflection, so that you're in the right headspace to give these questions your full attention. You can skip through the breathing (or opt-out in settings), but we encourage you to take a minute or two to focus on your breathing, and to think about some key principles.
What are our key principles?
Inward will provide you with more value if you’re able to bring four qualities to each session: focus, honesty, patience and vulnerability.
Focus, because getting to know the inner you requires serious concentration. It’s so easy to get distracted and to answer questions without giving them true, deep consideration. So find your focus.
Honesty, because the easiest person to fool is yourself. Try to take a true, raw, honest look at the person you are from the outside in. Lying to yourself serves no one.
Patience, because getting to know the deepest, truest parts of yourself takes deep consideration, which takes time. Each question is designed to stimulate not just an instinctive response, but also reflection on your behaviors over recent weeks, and how those behaviors illustrate your true self. Set aside some quality time with yourself, and think through every angle of each question.
Vulnerability, because often looking hard in the mirror is uncomfortable. You’ll see plenty of things that you’re doing well, but you’ll likely also see a reflection that sometimes falls short of your core values. That type of realization is never pleasant, but positive changes start with clear identification of deficits. So be prepared for some challenging conversations with yourself.
How do I use the slider?
You’ll be presented with a question, and challenged to rate your response on a slider. The slider scores your response from zero to 100, depending on where you position the button, but you won’t see the score as you’re interacting with the slider. We all have strong associations with particular numbers, which can bias your responses, so your answer is simply wherever it feels “right” on the slider.
Ideally, consider the best, or ideal version of yourself as the very top of the scale, and position the slider to reflect how close you feel as though your are to that ideal. Spend some time thinking about the past few weeks - the challenges you’ve faced, the decisions you’ve made, how you’ve interacted with others, and let those memories guide your response.
How do I fill out my reflections and actions?
While you’re considering how to position the slider, it will often prompt memories of the best and worst of yourself over the past month. Your Reflections are your opportunity to journal those thoughts, to keep a record of the core memories that are informing your current picture of yourself.
It’s natural that you’ll also start looking forward, and thinking about how you might change course in coming weeks. Your Actions are your opportunities to resolve to make changes, and to set up reminders for each of those aspirational actions.
Do I need to do the whole survey in one sitting?
No. You can answer as many questions as you have the time and energy for. When you close the app, your responses will be saved, and when you next open the app, you’ll restart at the same point you stopped the last time.
Do I need to pay for Inward?
You'll have free access to Inward for a 28-day trial period, after which subscription is $4/month.
Can I add my own questions?
Yes, if you feel like there are questions you'd like to consider that aren't in the preset list, you can add them through Settings inside the app. The questions you add will then appear as part of your next reflection, and you'll be able to view your historical scores, reflections and actions related to each new question.
What is my Thrive score?
When you complete a full series of questions, the app will calculate an average of the scores you assigned to each question, which is your Thrive Score. It's designed to provide an overall impression of your wellbeing. The score itself only has meaning when compared with your scores from previous reflections (to see if your score is improving or declining). You can also give some questions more weight than others through Settings, if you feel like a particular question is more or less vital to your current stage of life.
Why can't I see my scores on the slider screen?
The app is intentionally designed to steer you away from thinking about specific numbers, as numbers can often have a strong association with other parts of life, such as school grades. The idea of the slider interface is for you to connect with your true instinctive feeling about where you're currently at, without being tied to any specific number.