As September arrives, many of us naturally shift into a routine mindset. Summer routines shift, schedules become more structured and the final months of the year can create a new sense of urgency. Social media has given this feeling a name: The Great Lock In.
The idea is to use the final stretch of the year to focus, build better habits, and make meaningful progress toward personal and professional goals.
The instinct to “lock in” can be motivating, but I have always had a hard time with “challenges” because I know that the progress is most often short-lived.
Before you lock in, sometimes you need to zoom out.
Meaningful progress comes from understanding what you want to accomplish, identifying the friction of what’s getting in the way, and making small, consistent shifts that move you toward the bigger goal.
The “Perfect Reset”
When we decide it’s time for a reset, it’s easy to create an ambitious list of everything we want to change.
- Drink 100 ounces of water every day.
- Go to the gym five times a week.
- Read 10 pages every night.
- Wake up earlier.
- Meal prep every Sunday.
None of these goals are inherently unrealistic, but if you try to implement all of them at once (especially if these are not habits you currently practice), you are setting yourself up for failure.
Changing behavior requires micro shifts in habits that make those behaviors sustainable.
When we try to change too much at once, we often create a cycle of:
- Setting ambitious expectations
- Struggling to maintain them
- Falling behind
- Feeling discouraged
- Abandoning the goal altogether
The problem is asking too much too soon.
Sustainable Change Starts with Micro Shifts
Sustainable change is often built through small shifts in behavior that compound over time.
Instead of going from no exercise to five days a week, start with two.
Instead of committing to 100 ounces of water, add one additional glass to your day.
Instead of reading 10 pages every night, start with two.
Instead of completely restructuring your workday, spend five minutes identifying your top priorities for tomorrow.
Small changes can feel insignificant compared to the size of the goal, but consistency is what allows those small changes to become habits.
Over time, a micro shift can become a routine. A routine can become a system. And a system can support meaningful progress toward a much larger outcome.
Keep the Bigger Goal in Sight
If your goal is to grow your business, spending 15 minutes each morning on your highest-value priority means that protecting that time moves you toward the larger outcome.
If your goal is to become more organized at work, taking five minutes at the end of the day to identify tomorrow’s priorities can create a system that reduces decision-making and helps you start each day with greater clarity.
If your goal is to improve your health, adding one additional workout to your week is a step in the direction of the bigger goal.
The micro shift is the action and the big goal is the direction.
Zoom Out Before You Lock In
Before deciding what you’re going to “lock in” on this fall, take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Ask yourself:
- What do I actually want to be different by the end of the year?
- What matters most right now?
- Where am I spending time and energy that isn’t moving me toward that goal?
- What’s getting in the way of taking action?
- What is one small behavior that would move me closer to the outcome I want?
Start Your Fall Reset
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