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My father is the one who schooled me in the Way of the List, a gift passed down through the generations, from one indecisive Libra to another. His teachings essentially boil down to this basic tenant: any knotty decision, any kind of life-slump, can be combated with side-by-side lists of pros and cons. My old-fashioned father creates these lists on something called “paper,” but if he had an iPad I’m sure he would convert to the Unstuck App.

I approached this app with some cynicism. I believe an app can balance my checkbook, plan my vacations, and teach my child to read, but something as important and complex as make a decision? Please. In the end, Unstuck delivers  an organized way to pinpoint your problem, visualize it, and discover a solution. It's essentially a very cute (without being cutesy), well-designed, portable therapist.

What I found most revealing about my Unstuck experience, as in any good therapy session, was the questions the app asked. As I tried to define what what was making me feel stuck, sorted out my “feelings cards,” and wrote myself memos about my goals, I started to realize that what I thought was bothering me – my family’s current soul-sucking problem with clutter and mess – was really just a symptom of larger issues  (feeling overwhelmed and anxious about an upcoming change).

What's more, I realized I didn't even actually have a decision to make. The app informed me that in fact I was stuck because I didn't know where to start, and that I (an inveterate planner) didn't have a plan. Revelatory! It became a question of breaking down what I needed to do to dig out of the clutter.  Best of all, Unstuck offers several different “tools,” or ways to unstick yourself from whatever your problem may be. It works for all the big decisions – jobs, relationships, outfits for holiday parties. And it’s free.

If only my father could use it to figure out whether or not he should buy an iPad.

Read More:
Martha Beck's Indecisiveness Cure
Making Decisions From Ego or Consciousness