What most people simply see as the end of the year, the self-improvement-inclined see as the time to kick it into high gear and tackle everything on their vision boards. Enter “Winter Arc” challenge 2.0: “The Great Lock In,” which nearly broke Google with its high search volume (looking at you, Gen Zers). Those participating in this year’s back-to-school season glow-up have their sights set on crushing goals by “locking in” “habits to make their life unrecognizable by the end of the year,” as one creator put it. Rather than let the period from September to January go by and wait until New Year’s to make good on your resolutions, it’s a months-long dash to the finish. So what is The Great Lock In, and is it helpful, or is it taking bettering yourself too far? Here’s what you need to know.
Experts Consulted
At The Everygirl, we believe that wellness advice should be grounded in accurate, science-backed information to ensure our readers can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. That’s why we prioritize consulting trusted, credible experts—so every piece of content is both reliable and empowering.
DR. KATELYN LEHMAN
Dr. Katelyn Lehman is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Quantum Clinic, where she pioneers coherence-based approaches to mental health and whole-person healing. With years of clinical experience and research expertise, she integrates psychology, neurocardiology, and trauma-informed care to help individuals restore balance and resilience.
What Is “The Great Lock In?”
Whether it’s being dubbed as Winter Arc’s rebrand or the new January, The Great Lock In is a push to use the usual lull part of the year to recommit to your personal development so you ring in 2026 as a stronger, wealthier, or more successful you. “It’s all programming your mind to go hard for a sprint of time,” explained creator Tatiana Forbes in a viral TikTok. “A sprint. It’s not meant to be forever. But it’s meant to be a time you put forward an immense effort in some area of your life. It could be fitness, it could be your finances, it could be your career, it could be a business. It could be all the things.”
Unlike past challenges like 75 Hard or Operation 66, there aren’t hard-and-fast rules to The Great Lock In. From lower-lift to-dos like walking, cooking more at home, or journaling to more rigid routines like working out 4-5 times a week, drinking 3-4 liters of water every day, getting eight hours of sleep daily, etc., it’s about being hyper-disciplined and giving 110 percent effort to whip your goals, habits, and growth in shape.
@kadieglenn Since everyone is doubling down on the great lock in, here’s a how to on building self-trust brick by brick:
Start with credible commitments (small > sustainable > scalable)
♬ original sound – kadieglenn
Is It Worth Trying?
I’m all for becoming your best self as much as the next wellness girl, but not if it’s defined by how productive you are, how fit you look, or how “successful” you are. As for go-getters taking to social media to document their pledges and progress updates as part of the lock-in challenge, it can be a good thing if it means building community and self-compassion—but not if it’s tied to unrealistic standards to do it all and shame for missing a day. “There is real value in using seasonal shifts as opportunities for reset, but the pressure comes if we treat self-care as performance, fueling anxiety instead of easing it,” said Dr. Katelyn Lehman, a clinical psychologist and the founder of Quantum Clinic. “Socio-culturally, it reinforces the illusion that well-being is about ‘doing more,’ rather than cultivating inner balance and nervous system healing. The point isn’t fixing a broken self—it’s remembering the wholeness already within us.”
The Great Lock In challenge could be a recipe for burnout if we’re trying to make everything we do “count” with little room for flexibility, error, rest, or undisciplined joy. From a deeper perspective, Dr. Lehman pointed out that the danger lies in forgetting that transformation is not a competition, it’s a return to presence. If it at all becomes overwhelming and implies forgoing holiday festivities for cold showers, high-protein meal prep, and 5 a.m. training sessions, it’s a hard pass for me. But if The Great Lock In helps us hone in on aspects of our lives we want to improve and pursue them in a way that’s sustainable and adaptable, I say let’s lock it in. As Dr. Lehman said: “Approached with gentleness and play, The Great Lock In can be a cultural nudge toward resilience and reconnecting inward, rather than just another trend on TikTok.”
A Sample Week of “The Great Lock In”
| Day | Focus | Mini Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Fitness | Do a 5×5 workout after work |
| Tuesday | Career | Build your personal brand for one hour |
| Wednesday | Wellness | Do one thing to romanticize your life |
| Thursday | Finance | Try vibe-based budgeting |
| Friday | Reset | Do a closing shift |
| Saturday | Social activity | Bond with friends over a low-energy activity |
| Sunday | Reflect + rest | Journal based on your zodiac sign |
Katherine Chang, Wellness Staff Writer
Katherine Chang is The Everygirl’s Wellness Staff Writer with over five years of experience in the health and wellness space. She navigates the latest wellness topics and trends through expert interviews and studies, and she’s always first in line to try them firsthand.
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Source: Cosmo Politian
