All technology has default settings. My smartphone has a default internet browser, my fridge has a default cooling setting, and my vacuum has a default brush. It’s a configuration for the product chosen by the manufacturer. Many of us don’t change the defaults on our tech, so they stay that way for a long time. I sometimes don’t know that we can change them, or I think the current setting is good enough to do its job.
Do we, humans, also have our own default settings? In essence we do.
My default settings are my repeated behaviours and beliefs. When I do something by default, I do it without even thinking about it, as if I was on autopilot.
Why would I be on autopilot?
Being on autopilot makes me more efficient. In computer programs, default settings ensure that new users get value right away when using a product for the first time. When I open a new Word document, the default font type and size are already set and I can start typing right away. An out-of-the-box smartphone comes with a default camera app on its home screen — I don’t have to research or download anything to start taking photos. In short, defaults save me time and save me from making hard decisions when I have limited experience. And just like in technology, the default settings in my life can be incredibly useful.
When a repeated action becomes second nature, I can finish it without even having to think about it. For example, during a typical commute to work, I don’t need to devote brainpower to remembering where to stop or where to merge; I essentially function on autopilot. A default commute frees up my mental capacity to solve other problems, like planning my tasks for the day.
Where do default settings come from?
I wasn’t born with my default settings — they were conditioned into me. My first defaults were set by my parents. When I was little, my parents looked after me and ensured that all of my needs were met so I could explore and grow. As a kid, I had no important life decisions to make, although it didn’t necessarily felt this way at the time. All decisions — where I lived, where I went to school, where I traveled — were made for me entirely. This supervision is helpful when I don’t know much, and these defaults set the foundation for my own decision-making as I get older and learn more.
As I become more and more independent and go out into the world on my own, my neighbours, teachers, and people I meet start to determine what kind of human I am becoming and what defaults I adopt.
There’s a concept in psychology called group identity, which states that the group I identify with influences my personal goals and actions. The similarities and common interests within a group create stronger bonds, and make it easier for members to relate to each other. Thinking back to when I was a kid, the sports I tried, video games I played, or TV shows I watched were all popular within my circle of friends. I didn’t invent my free-time activities. My interests originated from my community’s interests.
My surroundings also influenced my ideas. If I was asked to think of any country in the world, I’d more than likely name a country I’ve either been to, heard of, or read about in the past. Even when I use my imagination to create something I perceive as “new,” it’s really just a mash-up of things I’ve previously experienced or heard of. The sources of my ideas are limited to my encounters up until this point.
The way I sound originates from my community, too. I grew up in Paris and moved to England when I turned nineteen. I still carry a French accent with me, however it has evolved over the years as I moved around different parts of England. And no matter what I sound like, my speech patterns will also be influenced by my experiences and the places I’ve lived. Each has its own word choices, sentence structuring, and intonations that are picked up through exposure.
The benefits of changing my default settings
The most critical moments of my life happen when I decide to examine and adjust my default settings. The awareness of my default settings, my ability to evaluate them, and my willingness to change them are the key components of correcting the course of my life. There will be several benefits along the way:
- Adjusting my defaults means I am more in control of my life. Each adjustment I make is a purposeful change in the direction my life is taking and in defining success on my own terms.
- The journey of defining new habits and beliefs will make me dig deep and examine what I truly enjoy and hate. The more I know about yourself, the more aligned my future decisions will be to my goals.
- All users had different expectations on how the flights should be listed i.e. by price or time of departure. However none of the apps offered filter options
- And because default settings drive recurring behaviours, the effects of changing them will become a lasting foundation. Once changed, these behaviours will become my new autopilot.
As a human, I have an inherent desire to leave a lasting legacy. Everything I do will end up contributing to how I will be remembered, but having a significant impact is not easy. In fact, more often than not, my impact is suppressed. I can end up in jobs that don’t leverage my strengths. My interpersonal interactions are polite, but essentially transactional and shallow. My digital habits consume a lot of my time, leaving me feeling too drained to create something new.
To have the most positive impact on others, I need to align my work to my strengths and passions, spread love in my interactions, and hand-pick my digital content to recharge myself intentionally. I can’t accomplish these things without first analysing my defaults. Updating and personalising them means that my autopilot will take me — and my impact — further.
