WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO "LOCK IN"?

“ This year I'm locking in”. You've probably heard that phrase from someone or even said it to yourself already. And then it's back to old habits after two weeks. Something happened ( or failed to happen) and the mission failed. So what really is ‘‘locking in”?

Most people use this term to mean that they will be more focused on their studies, they will go to the ym more often or maybe they will finish a project they have been procrastinating. However, when setting these goals a very subtle yet devastating enemy arises: vagueness.

Vagueness looks like this: “ I will make an academic comeback this semester. Just wait and see…” Meanwhile, I still scroll aimlessly on Tiktok during class, I have no study routine whatsoever and have made no plans to access a library during my free time. But I convince myself that all I need is one night of motivation where everything will make sense and I will enter “flow state.” The subtle yet brutal lie of vagueness: “ I will change for the better but I do not need to change how I do things on a daily basis. Things will work out at “the right time.” Sorry to burst your bubble, but in the real world there is no such thing as “the right time.”

Vagueness prevents locking in because we have plans but haven't thought about how we are going to achieve them. We refuse to make seemingly insignificant changes, like sleeping and waking up earlier, for example. But compounded over time, poor sleeping habits could be the reason we just can't seem to focus for more than 30 seconds at a time. Basically, it is a lack of attention to detail that allows vagueness to creep in.

To truly lock in we need:

i) Clarity in goal setting

ii) Undivided attention

iii) Repetition

iv) Passion

I will discuss these four in brief.

i) Clarity in goal setting:

We set goals like: “ I will go to the gym regularly.” What does that really mean? Is regularly daily, or just a few days of the week? What time will I be going? How long will I stay there?

A clear goal looks like this: “ I will go to the gym, every weekday at 6pm for one hour. On Saturdays I will go at 9 am for 2 hours and on Sundays I will rest at home.”

Once these variables are fully integrated into our gym habit, we find it much easier to actually follow through on a regular basis. Clarity ensures consistency which results in automatic behaviour in the long run. Automatic behaviour is what locking in entails. It is doing what you have to do without even negotiating with yourself. A lot of neuroscience goes into explaining the brain's capacity to act almost on auto-pilot once a habit forms but we will not get into that.

ii) Undivided attention

Once we have our clear goals we have to set aside all distractions. We live in the age of distraction. Our phones are a getaway to endless possibilities. Each notification is like a whisper to stop what you are doing and totally immerse yourself in the endless digital realm. Locking in essentially means intentionally blocking all distractions, all the time. It is setting a timer to study for 1 hour and not doing anything else until that hour passes. It is setting aside one week to work on a project and cancelling whatever plans you may have had. It is going on a diet for a month and resisting the temptation to have “cheat days.” It is putting your phone on “do not disturb” until the job is done. It is paying attention to every detail that your work or craft involves.

iii) Repetition

Kobe Bryant once said that for each shot he took on the basketball court, he had already practised it a thousand times. If that is the level of repetition required for one of the most talented athletes of all time to become a master of their craft, imagine how often we need to practise the art of locking in before it becomes the default. It is here where we usually fall. The mundane nature of constantly putting in effort without seeing tangible results discourages us and we lose focus on what we want to achieve. However, it is in the tedious grind that real transformation occurs. Simply put, we cannot lock in if we are not ready to put in hours of consistent work, every single day, even if the results are not visible. Consistency is the key that actually ensures you stay “locked in.”

iv) Passion

Without a true desire for the goals we want to achieve we will never achieve them- no matter how hard we think we are trying. If only we were truly passionate about our goals- then achieving them would be the norm. Instead we approach our aspirations half-heartedly. “I like working out but only when I feel energised.” “ I like learning but only when I have nothing else to do. “ If we really want to lock in to something, we have to yearn for it. Crave it. Dream about it. The idea of losing it should scare you. Ultimately it is passion that determines if you will actually lock in or not. Willpower and motivation will only take you so far. Even discipline will fail at some point because we are emotional creatures. A real passion will have you craving the grind and the sacrifice. You will “get to”lock in and not “ have to” lock in.

Will this article suddenly inspire the reader to become the most focused person in the room? I don't know. Because personally, I struggle to live by the principles I have explained. To lock in requires sacrificing all for the sake of the one thing you really want. And it is scary. To let go of everything else and go all in on the ultimate goal is no walk in the park.

Remember that locking in is about progress not perfection. Keep this fundamental truth in mind and for sure one day, you will finally say: “I'm locked in”.