Just to check I understand this fully.

If I select a seat at the time of booking (free because of OWE status), do I need to re-select a new seat within the 72 hour timeframe to try to get in the system to block the adjacent seat?

Or if I have a seat that has been selected several weeks before the flight, will it automatically try to block the adjacent seat for me at 72 hours out?

Trying to figure out how best to play the game!