Classify every behavior as designed or default…

When This Fires

• During behavioral audits (Audit agents with hourly momentary sampling…) when cataloging observed behaviors
• When you notice a recurring behavior and wonder "why do I do this?"
• During agent inventory when distinguishing consciously installed behaviors from inherited patterns
• When simplifying your behavioral portfolio — defaults with no clear purpose are prime candidates for removal

Common Failure Mode

Retroactively claiming defaults were designed: "I check email first thing because I decided it's important to stay responsive." Did you actually decide that, or did the behavior start before you had a rationale for it? The rationalization test: if you can't name when you made the decision and what alternatives you considered, the behavior is likely a default wearing a post-hoc justification costume.

The Protocol

(1) During a behavioral audit, for each observed behavior, ask: "Can I identify a specific moment when I decided to adopt this behavior?" (2) If yes → designed. Record when and why you installed it. Check: is the original reason still valid? (3) If no → default. Record it as unexamined automation. Ask: if I were designing my behavior from scratch, would I choose this? (4) For defaults you'd keep → convert them to designed agents by explicitly endorsing them (now they have a decision point). (5) For defaults you wouldn't choose → redesign or remove. These are behaviors running on your resources without your conscious authorization.