As 2025 draws to a close, a viral Tiktok trend is helping people achieve their wellness goals: “The Great Lock In” encourages participants to end the year strong by focusing entirely on their life goals from September 1 through December 31.
Many people focus on exercising or eating healthier. But the trend can also help you achieve your financial goals.
There are no set rules for “The Great Lock -In”. The phrase “lock down” is popular on social media and it means to focus intensely on a task.
“Something I like about this particular trend is that it’s like the little sister of New Year’s resolutions,” said Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, financial therapist and founder of Mind Money Balance, a Financial Wellness podcast and blog.
For Julissa Mercedes, 28, one of her closing goals is to build a $2,500 emergency savings fund.
“Having some liquid cash will make me feel a little more secure,” said Mercedes, a San Diego resident who works in Finance. Aside from building an emergency fund, Mercedes has three other goals: make a new friend, create a morning routine, and pick up a new hobby.
“The Great Lock In” is intended to help people achieve New Year’s resolutions that may have fallen by the wayside. If you’re starting your year planning to pay off debt by cutting unnecessary expenses and have yet to follow through, this challenge can help you with that goal.
“I think that’s appealing to a lot of people who are just tired of feeling stuck and like they haven’t been able to make progress,” said Ben Markley, Personal Finance Educator and a host of sketchy advice from Ynab, a budgeting app.
If you’re considering participating in “The Great Lock -In,” or if you’re already doing it, here are some expert recommendations to make your financial goals stick:
Review your finances
To build a goal that will benefit you, it’s essential to review your finances, Bryan-Podvin said. She suggested that you assess your bank account and spend some time figuring out how much you earn each month, as well as what you spend it on.
If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution around finances, this can be a good opportunity to check in on your progress and see if you need to reassess your approach.
Set achievable goals
When participating in a challenge, it’s best to set achievable goals, Markley said. Sometimes online challenges inspire people to make important changes, but they can also lead them to create unattainable goals.
“A lot of people can’t maintain that at all, so they give up,” he said. “Or they support it, but then they go back to their normal lives after the challenge, and their spending habits haven’t fundamentally changed.”
Setting a goal that is realistic regarding your budget and lifestyle is the best way to ensure you can achieve it by the end of the challenge. Bryan-Podvin recommends looking at “The Great Lock In” as a 5K race rather than a marathon.
Focus on building habits
To continue achieving your financial goals in 2026, Markley recommends centering some of your Slot goals around building new habits or skills.
For example, if your goal is to stop spending on takeout, focus on building a habit related to cooking.
“Find easy meals that you could cook at home with your skill level, so that when you want to eat out, you don’t fall back,” Markley said.
A great way to help create a habit is to use a habit tracking tool. It can be as simple as setting reminders on your phone or downloading an app that sends you regular notifications, Bryan-Podvin said.
Create community and accountability
Social media can be a good place to find community support for achieving your goals, whether it’s a Facebook group, commenting on creators’ videos, or posting your own content.
When she started ‘The Great Lock In’ challenge in early September, Mercedes also decided to document her experience on Tiktok. Sharing her journey with followers helps with accountability, she said.
“Seeing that people are still watching and keeping up with my content makes me feel like they are part of the journey too,” Mercedes said.
Think about your relationship with money
As you use “The Great Lock -in” trend to achieve your financial goals, take a moment to think about your overall relationship with money.
“Give every dollar a specific job so you don’t go on autopilot when you spend, you’re intentional with your money and you make sure it goes to the things you need and the things you care about,” Markley said.
Sitting down regularly, by yourself or with your partner, and assessing your spending habits can help with your long-term financial goals.
It’s okay if it’s not for you
If you try this challenge and discover it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK, Markley said.
“You can find something else that works, and it’s not a reflection of your character if you don’t pull ‘the great lock-in,’” he added.
While social media challenges can help inspire people to achieve their goals, it’s not worth adding unnecessary stress to your life just because of a challenge. Not every trend works for everyone, and there are many other ways you can achieve your financial goals, Markley said.
The Associated Press receives support from the Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The Independent Foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
—Adriana Morga, Associated Press
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