Five-step schema audit
Perform schema inspection through a five-step audit: (1) list actual operating rules in a domain, (2) source each rule's origin, (3) identify one success and one failure case per rule, (4) rate confidence in each rule, (5) compare confidence to evidence quality.
When This Fires
- During deliberate self-examination or personal development work
- When operating rules in a domain are producing suboptimal results
- Before making major changes to how you work, relate, or think about yourself
- Quarterly or annually as part of a deep self-review practice
Common Failure Mode
Listing the rules you want to have rather than the rules you actually operate on. Step 1 must be descriptive, not aspirational. "I believe in work-life balance" is aspirational. "I work until the task is done regardless of time" is the actual operating rule. The audit only works on actual schemas.
The Protocol
Choose one domain (professional, relational, or self-concept): (1) List: write every operating rule you actually follow in this domain. 5-10 rules per domain. (2) Source: for each rule, write where it came from — mentor, experience, culture, book, personality? (3) Test: for each rule, identify one instance where it succeeded and one where it failed. (4) Rate: confidence 1-10 in each rule. (5) Compare: for each rule, rate the quality of evidence supporting it (strong/moderate/weak). Flag any rule where confidence is high (8+) but evidence is weak. Those are your inspection priorities.