by: Gowri Sunil
Local Editor

As a middle schooler, I was a staunch supporter of the “Type A” mentality. From using color-coded planners to completing homework before the teacher even assigned it, I was on top of everything. Yet, unfortunately, as I ventured into the realm of dreaded Canvas notifications and entire mountain ranges of due dates, I found myself slowly engulfed in the “Type B” persona. Now you may wonder how my time management could’ve gone through such a steep transformation within the span of a year or two, but the truth comes down to one simple answer: the performative lock-in. To truly understand this phenomenon, you must envision a couple of familiar scenarios.

First, the beloved study group with friends. You all agree to meet up at the library, or even better, at a coffee shop. With your fun drink in hand (preferably with oat milk because that’s what all productive people order), you lay out every type of writing utensil imaginable. You spend the first few minutes conjuring the perfect tab order, then the next five re-reading the assignment. Before you know it, you’ve spent the last eight minutes perfectly on task, and nothing can stop you now. Then the dreaded event occurs, and someone blurts out, “GUYS…have you seen that TikTok?” The little will you had to focus vanishes, and from then on, it’s only re-enactments of vocal stims, gossip, and jaw-dropping news about people you didn’t even know existed. In the end, all you managed to do was resize and bold the title you already had, and make sure everything is Times New Roman, size 12.

Then there’s the fan favorite New Year’s resolution, working out. The night before, you’ve already crafted the five-hour-long playlist, and it has the perfect mix of motivation and main character aura. You even lay out your clothes and pack your bag. Then the next day arrives, and the million alarms you set for a time you’d never realistically wake up to start blaring. But your bed is just too comfy, and your reluctance somehow wins over your prior willpower. By the time you finish contemplating the pros and cons, you again postpone another workout.

Still, none of those tops the most elite form of performative locking in: telling people you’re going to focus, and even making the life-changing decision to turn your phone on the Do Not Disturb mode. The result, you may wonder? A few hours of calm, undisturbed doomscroll time, albeit with a bit of guilt. While scrolling, you’re fully aware of the time wasted, yet persist anyways. Maybe every once in a while you remember the actual reason you sat so diligently at your desk to begin with, and you open a tab or two for some quick research on stoichiometry. But to be honest, the content is just as boring as its name, and you quickly revert to the plethora of jazzy “Baby Boo” remixes.

Maybe it’s just not me in this laid-back boat, or at least I hope not. Perhaps we all spend more time preparing than actually doing, while falling victim to the many memes and “quick” breaks that conveniently last hours.