Every system rewards something, and over time we begin adapting to what it rewards. Before asking whether a system works, it may be more useful to ask what it is optimizing for and whether that is still the outcome we want.

Core Experience: The participant shifts from feeling frustrated inside a system to seeing the outcome the system is repeatedly designed, structured, or rewarded to produce. Why This Practice Exists: When a system produces an outcome we do not want, we often assume the answer is more effort, better discipline, or another tool. This practice creates enough distance to notice the system itself. It helps the participant identify what is being rewarded, compare that with what they actually want,...

Perhaps the ongoing question is not: Has AI influenced my thinking? It clearly has. The more fruitful questions may be: Which influences have increased my agency?