diff --git a/src/cli/ui/components/messageList/utils.ts b/src/cli/ui/components/messageList/utils.ts
index ca9a3ed9..9f04c8d9 100644
--- a/src/cli/ui/components/messageList/utils.ts
+++ b/src/cli/ui/components/messageList/utils.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
+// Expected Impact: Reduces string allocations and padding operations per render cycle
+const PADDED_NUMBERS = Array.from({ length: 60 }, (_, i) => String(i).padStart(2, '0'));
+
 export function formatTime(timestamp: Date): string {
-  const hours = String(timestamp.getHours()).padStart(2, '0');
-  const minutes = String(timestamp.getMinutes()).padStart(2, '0');
-  const seconds = String(timestamp.getSeconds()).padStart(2, '0');
+  const hours = PADDED_NUMBERS[timestamp.getHours()];
+  const minutes = PADDED_NUMBERS[timestamp.getMinutes()];
+  const seconds = PADDED_NUMBERS[timestamp.getSeconds()];
   return `${hours}:${minutes}:${seconds}`;
 }