So, What Is the "Great Lock In"?

At one point or another I am sure we have all made the promise to ourselves that a new year should equal a new version of us. When January 1st rolls around it’s all guns ablaze on self improvement, better habits, and big goals. 

Pinterest ©

As the months pass and life starts life-ing, those big goals and visions often fade into the background. Spring and summer bring a shift toward fun, travel, and simply enjoying the moment—and before you know it, fall arrives, leaving just a few months to make good on all the intentions you set at the start of the year.

This is where the “Great Lock In” comes in. Another day, another TikTok trend, but this one is aimed at revisiting our New Year’s resolutions. Running from this past September through the end of the year, the “Great Lock In” trend is all about using the final months of 2025 to refocus, reset, and make them your most productive yet.

Rather than falling back into old habits or simply coasting through the season, this trend is about intentionally building new ones that lead to a better life. It’s a rejection of the usual “holiday slump”—no more writing off December as a lost month or waiting for the new year to start fresh. And from that mindset, the “Great Lock In” was born.

Anyone who participates in the “Great Lock In” should already be a month into it. Oops, looks like I’m too late. Some are placing personal pledges on social media to hold themselves accountable by letting their following witness their daily progress, but most are attempting to overhaul their lifestyles completely.

Whether that means working out five times-a-week, not indulging in sugar or alcohol, limiting screen time, making sure one gets nine hours of sleep every night, etc., the outcome is to make your life seem and feel unrecognizable by the coming of the new year. 

The “Great Lock In” has been described as a wellness-driven hibernation for the last months of 2025. I found this interesting because hibernation is normally defined when an animal reduces metabolic activity to survive harsh winter conditions. Locking in has never been about reducing activity, but rather increasing productivity. 

Hustle culture, a term coined by the millennial generation, has been a widely criticized ideology. Adopting a hustle culture is to keep oneself constantly productive, working around the clock, and never giving oneself the time of day to slow down. All of this sounds like a fast-track to burnout, and Gen Z agrees. 

But the thing is, the “Great Lock In” sounds like something that involves hustle, productivity, and a lack of time to make mistakes. I understand that it is wellness-driven, as sleep can be a priority or less screentime, but is this something that needs to be defined by locking in? Don’t good habits manifest through practice, not pressure? 

Nonetheless, Gen Z has decided to rebrand hustle culture, and this Fall it’s better known as “hustle season.” Although Gen Z has been known to prioritize mental health, slowing down, and logging off, this TikTok trend is proving otherwise. But, there is a valid reason why this might be happening.

Gen Z has been dealt a tough hand when it comes to the job market and economy, fueling a collective feeling that no matter how hard we work, it’s never enough. As the wealth gap widens and opportunities feel increasingly out of reach, it’s easy to see why so many young people feel an urgent need to get their lives together—financially, physically, and mentally—before the year ends. It’s not just about personal growth; it’s a reflection of a broader societal moment where chaos in the world makes us crave control in our own lives.

Overall, I think it is all about how one perceives this trend. Plenty of people are going into it with an all-or-nothing mindset, but others are choosing to be more modest about their goals. Grand plans sound great, but they are also daunting. Starting small, or practicing micro efforts over max efforts, is a more sustainable way to achieve your personal “Great Lock In.” 

Being intentional with your behavior, rather than being solely focused on the outcome over the journey, was where this idea of locking in originated. But with social media and the constant spiral of trends, the “Great Lock In” now seems to be tainted with promotional intent and fast-paced consumerism, rather than a real lifestyle change that would depend on lasting commitment and engagement. 

I understand the idea of the “Great Lock In,” I even think I like it, but I still don’t feel as though reinvention is measured by days, weeks, or months, it’s measured by consistency and outlook. 

Change is also gradual when it comes to ourselves. Sure, our settings can change in a couple of minutes, situations can change in the blink of an eye, but when we are trying to change who we are, both mentally and physically, it’s a journey. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting something better for yourself, but if you do want to create goals or set new intentions, do it because that is what you genuinely deserve or want, not because there is another trend train to hop onto.