Here’s a math problem to jog your brain: October is month 10 out of 12 months in a year. 10 divided by 12 is .8333 or 83 percent. That’s a B. By month 11, that percentage goes up to 91.7% (an A-), and with a little bit of hard work, you should get an A+, which is 100%, by December. An A+, however, doesn’t come easy. It takes homework, studying and mounds of crumpled scratch paper to prepare for the test. Prepare. The October Theory is the preparation for what’s to come in the new year.
It’s the newest TikTok phenomenon, and it actually makes sense. The October Theory is the idea that the last three months of the year fly by, meaning a couple of things:
Instead of giving up on 2024’s tired resolutions, now is the time to dig in and use the point in progress of those goals as the starting line for next year. Let’s say, as an example, a New Year’s resolution of yours was to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning during the weekday (unfortunately, they were right. It does give you more energy and increases productivity). It’s going to be a lot harder to achieve on Jan. 1, 2025 when you’ve been sleeping through six other alarms and waking up at 9:30 a.m. The October Theory challenges you to start now. Implement a routine with a regulated sleeping schedule that allots for eight hours of sleep before it’s time to start your day and practice it the next 91 days. Oct. 1 is the equivalent to a mini-New Years.
Chloe Van Berkel (@chloevanberkel on TikTok), the “college girl with a lot to say” TikTok influencer, posted her take on The October Theory bright and early on Oct. 1.
“This is the time when a lot of people are going to be making a lot of big life changes and a lot of major life decisions and a lot of ‘canon events’ will be happening for a lot of different people at this time.”
Big life changes and canon events are, indeed, an annual occurrence. October is the month after the ‘September Surge’ in job openings, the beginning of cuffing season, and the closing of the year. Want proof? Open up your camera roll and scroll to Oct. 2023, then Oct. 2022, and even Oct. 2021 if your iPhone storage goes back that far. It’s highly likely you’ll recognize a significant shift in your life’s timeline and TikTok testimonies all share the same revelation; a new environment, a glow up, or maybe just a wider smile. Whatever the case may be, the year’s fourth quarter always brings in a change
Now that we’re seeing how real the October Theory is, it becomes easy to understand the need to capitalize on this time. Start waking up early and prioritizing your physical and mental health to avoid burnout and seasonal depression. Let the rest of the year be define by a new hobby or skill. Most importantly, be open to (and excited for) accepting change and new beginnings.
With can-do attitudes and canon events, the October Theory is an idea that everyone should lean into in order to optimize the rest of their 2024.
What's Your Reaction?
