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As the end of 2025 approaches, a viral tiktok This trend is helping people achieve their wellness goals: “The Great Lock In” encourages participants to end the year strong by focusing solely on their life goals from September 1 to December 31.
Many people focus on exercise or healthy eating. But this trend can also help you achieve your financial goals.
There are no set rules for “The Great Lock In”. The phrase “locked in” is popular on social media and means to concentrate intensely on a task.
“What I love about this particular trend is that it’s like the little sister of New Year’s resolutions,” said Lindsey Bryan-Podwin, financial therapist and founder of Mind Money Balance, a financial wellness podcast and blog.
For Julissa Mercedes, 28, one of her goals is to build an emergency savings fund of $2,500.
“Having some liquid cash would make me feel a little safer,” Mercedes said. San Diego Resident who works in finance. Besides building an emergency fund, Mercedes has three other goals: making a new friend, developing a morning routine, and picking up a new hobby.
“The Great Lock In” aims to help people keep those New Year’s resolutions that may have fallen by the wayside. If you started your year with a plan to pay off debt by cutting unnecessary expenses and haven’t yet followed through, this challenge can help you achieve that goal.
“I think it’s attracting a lot of people who are tired of feeling stuck and like they’re not making any progress,” said Ben Markley, personal finance teacher and host of Sketchy Advice by YNAB, a budgeting app.
If you’re thinking about participating in “The Great Lock In,” or if you’re already doing so, here are some expert recommendations for meeting your financial goals:
Review your finances
It’s essential to review your finances to create a goal that will benefit you, Bryan-Podvin said. He suggests you review your bank account and spend some time figuring out how much you make each month, as well as what you spend it on.
If you’ve made New Year’s resolutions regarding finances, this might be a good opportunity to check in on your progress and see if you need to reevaluate your approach.
set attainable goals
When participating in a challenge, it’s best to set attainable goals, Markle said. Sometimes online challenges motivate people to make significant changes, but they can also lead them to create unattainable goals.
“A lot of people can’t keep it up at all, so they give up,” he said. “Or, they keep it up, but then after the challenge they go back to their normal lives, and their spending habits haven’t fundamentally changed.”
Setting a goal that is realistic in relation to your budget and lifestyle is the best way to ensure that you can achieve it by the end of the challenge. Bryan-Podwin recommends viewing “The Great Lock In” as a 5K race rather than a marathon.
Focus on habit building
To continue achieving your financial goals in 2026, Markle recommends focusing some of your lock-in goals on building new habits or skills.
For example, if your goal is to stop spending on takeout, focus on building habits related to cooking.
“Find easy meals that you can cook at home with your skill level so that when you want to eat out, you have that meal on hand,” Markle said.
A great way to help form habits is to use habit-tracking tools. This could be as simple as setting a reminder on your phone or downloading an app that sends you regular notifications, Bryan-Podwin said.
Create community and accountability
Social media can be a good place to find community support to achieve your goals, whether it’s connecting with someone Facebook Create groups, comment on creators’ videos, or post your own content.
As soon as she started “The Great Locked In” challenge in early September, Mercedes also decided to document her experience on TikTok. Sharing your journey with followers helps with accountability, she said.
“Seeing that people are still watching and engaging with my content makes me feel like they’re part of the journey too,” Mercedes said.
Consider Your Relationship With Money
As you use “The Great Lock In” trend to achieve your financial goals, take a moment to consider your overall relationship with money.
“Give each dollar a specific function so that when you spend you’re not going on autopilot, you’re using your money intentionally and making sure it’s going toward the things you need and the things you care about,” Markle said.
Sitting down regularly, alone or with your partner, and reviewing your spending habits can help you with your long-term financial goals.
It’s okay if it’s not for you
If you try this challenge and you find out it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK, Markle said.
He added, “You can find something else that works, and it’s no reflection on your character if you don’t do ‘The Great Lock-In’.”
Although social media challenges can help motivate people to achieve their goals, it is not worth adding unnecessary stress to your life because of a challenge. Not every trend works for everyone, Markle said, and there are many other ways you can achieve your financial goals.
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