The Deferred-Dissipation Transform (DDT) identifies what is arguably a universal boundary law for the persistence of any organized system: tau ≤ E / (T * Sdot) This paper serves two functions based on this principle. First, it conducts a broad cross-theoretical survey, showing that this simple ratio appears as a shared, often implicit, structural invariant across eight major theoretical frameworks—from the Maximum Entropy Production Principle to the relativistic ringdown of a black hole. Despite their disparate origins, these theories all rely on the same energetic bookkeeping. Second, the survey functions as a call to action. By isolating this ratio as a translational key, the DDT provides (1) a common language for bridging siloed domains, and (2) a practical empirical hygiene tool for standardizing datasets. This paper argues that explicitly reporting independently measured thermodynamic variables (E, T, Sdot, tau) would foster a more coherent, portable, and integrative thermodynamic science. The survey concludes by presenting the DDT not only as a candidate boundary law, but as a generative framework for unifying theory and experiment across the physical, biological, and computational sciences. Keywords: persistence time; deferred-dissipation transform; entropy production; non-equilibrium thermodynamics; dissipation; structural invariants; thermodynamic uncertainty relations; information geometry; constructor theory; gravitational ringdown; universality; complex systems.