How to improve your income with a good lock in 2025
Across the country, young adults are staying indoors, using water as part of the 2025 major lockdown, the development of a dangerous virus approaching the end of the year. The idea is to block distractions and hyper-focus on healthy habits before the start of 2026.
But if you share, don’t forget to add a financial element.
“Starting a small change and building is not easy, but there is still a lot of time to work with the last few months of the year,” said Felicia Wong, founder of aventurine planning. “Everybody has to start somewhere.”
A good lock doesn’t have to be a complete abandonment of everything you know and love. You can use it as an opportunity to check in on your financial situation – your savings rates, spending habits, debt levels, investments – and reset as needed.
While self-improvement can be difficult, participating in a routine like this can be a way to get out of your mind’s eye for unwanted activities, says Timothy Klecker, a goal coach at US Bank.
Take the dreaded task of budgeting, for example.
“If you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, I have to have a budget, and I’m going to have to do it forever,’ you probably won’t want to do it. Sounds bad, right?” Klecker said.
But if you approach it with the mindset of “I’ll know this in time, and I’ll kick its butt,” the budget suddenly feels more attainable.
Breaking big financial goals down into smaller steps can help you stay motivated. Wong says if you want to take a vacation next summer, maybe aim to set aside some money for that trip at the end of each month. If you want to reduce daily costs, consider announcing a deadline for negotiating your Internet Bill.
“Set goals and habits that are achievable and sustainable. Financial habits are about being consistent over the long term,” says Wong, a certified financial planner.
Michelle Riiska, senior financial planning product and research consultant for Emoney Advisor, suggests starting with something like your emergency fund. While the ultimate goal is to save three to six months of essential expenses, you can build that by putting aside a few thousand dollars before January to reduce your chances of needing to add on more debt to the problem.
You may even be able to combine some of your lifestyle and financial updates.
While you’re trying to eat healthy, for example, you can put a cap on your Uber fare. While you’re trying to cut down on mindless shopping, you can remove the Amazon app from your phone. You get the idea.
Klecker adds that even just examining the behavior can pay dividends – as long as you’re clear – clear the gulf at the end of hope.
Going cold turkey for a few weeks only to return to old habits the second the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve will not lead to long-term change. For these changes to stick, your goals need to extend beyond just a light hearted tiktok challenge.
With discipline, Klecker says, you’ll come out on the other side of a major lockout having realized how valuable (and painless) the experience is. And you will prove to yourself that you can do it.
“The best framework is to dedicate your time, your energy and your focus to something, and then the evidence shows that it was worth your time, energy and focus with results,” he adds.
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