This thread is dedicated to time management tips for Muslims with the sole purpose of making the best of this life in order to please Allah and gain the best and highest ranks in the Hereafter:
5 Time management tips for Muslims
“By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily mankind is in loss, Except those who have faith, and do righteous good deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.” (The Qur’aan 103:1-3)
It’s the beginning of your work day; you sit down at your computer to start a project that you are already days behind on. The phone rings. You talk to your co-worker for twenty minutes about an event you are planning for the weekend. After you hang up you decide to check your Facebook status, respond to a few emails, and head to the break room for a snack. Before you know it, it’s been two hours and you still haven’t gotten any work done on your project. And now you have a pile of work you need to get done in addition to your project, and not nearly enough time to do it. Sound familiar? If it does, you are in major need of a time management makeover.
The first thing you should be aware of is: you must manage your time. Time keeps on moving no matter what you do. You have 24 hours, 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds each day to use how you will. To say manage implies that you have some control over it, which you do. While you can’t control getting more time in a day, you can control what you do with the 24 hours that you have- inshAllaah.
Charles Bruxton once said, “You will never ‘find’ time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” These tips are designed to help you make more time for yourself. Whether you choose to use it to get more work done, spend more time with the family or enjoy a book while swinging in a hammock is up to you.
Here are 5 tips to help you use your time wisely, be more productive and as a result feel happier and less stressed as a Muslim.
1. Know where you time is going: If you want to fix your time-leak you need to find out where the problem is. The easiest way to do this is to sit down with a pen and paper and map out your day. You have 24 hours; write down how you think you spend them. The easiest way to do this is to create a simple chart blocking out hours you spend doing certain activities. A sample daily chart may look something like this:
Sleeping: 8 hours
Eating (including prep) 2 hours
Work: 8 hours
Travel: 1 hour
Salah: 1 hour
Exercise: 1 hour
Shower/dress: 1 hour
Other: 3 hours
TOTAL: 24 hours
Your times will vary according to your personal schedule and priorities. Now that you have a vague idea of where your time is spent it’s time to get more specific. You need to write down exactly where you time goes.
For example, you know you spend 8 hours at work, but you’re not getting everything done. Why? Take a notebook with you to the office and make note of everything you do and how much time you spend doing it. Write down every coffee break, Facebook perusal, water cooler discussion and projects. At the end of the day, you may be surprised at how much time you spend doing unimportant things because you get distracted.
“There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” (Bukhari 8/421)
2. Set goals: What is your ultimate goal? As Muslims everything we do if we do it for the sake of Allaah subhana wa Tala- it counts as ibidah for us. Do you want to have more time at the end of the day to relax or more time to spend with your family without feeling guilty? Maybe you work from home and you’d like to get more work done to increase your income, so you need to be more productive. Whatever your goal is, learning to use your time more efficiently will help. Write down your goal and post it where you can see it. When you start to get distracted look at your goal and remind yourself to focus. If you want to add Qur’aan during the day, but have no time for it, maybe you can add 30 minutes while driving to work, and 30 minutes while driving back home, inshAllaah.
Creating goals can be an effective way to stay on task. When we consistently remind ourselves why we need to make a change, we are more likely to stick to our plan.
Along with creating other goals you can create specific time-management goals. For example, set a goal of only checking your Twitter feed after you have completed a certain project or after working for a certain amount of time. Reward yourself when you meet a goal inshAllaah.
3. Begin everything with Bismillah, and start and end your day with a plan: Take 20 to 30 minutes every morning to write down what you need to do for the day. Prioritize your list. By making a list of everything you need to get done first thing in the morning, you get your brain on track. At the end of the day take anything that is left over and write it on your list for the next day. Every morning you’ll be adding to the list of leftover items from the day before. If you can, put these left over items at the top of your list so that you don’t have a short list of things that keep tagging along with you week after week.
The Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said
“Get hold of 5 things before 5 things happen: your youth before old age, your health before sickness, your riches before poverty, your leisure before business and your life before death.” (Tirmidhi)
4. Prioritize your list: List the top six things that you must get done for the day. For some people listing more than six things can be overwhelming. Rank the items on your list from the most important to the least important and tackle them in order. When you get one thing done move on to the next, until you get through your list. You may or may not be able to get everything on your list done. If you don’t finish all six items move the remaining items to the next day and rank them accordingly.
5. Schedule email and phone calls: Set time limits for the projects you are working on and set aside specific time to handle smaller tasks, such as checking your email or returning phone calls. Checking your email every five minutes and answering the phone every time it rings can be real time –suckers. Ignore your phone and return the calls at a later time, unless you are waiting for a call that is vital to one of your projects.
The most important thing to remember is that you choose what to do with your time. You need to choose what is most important, and it’s not always going to be work. For me and my family it making sure we are doing ibidah and remembering Allaah in everything we do, inshAllaah.
According to John Hall Gladstone: “To comprehend a man’s life, it is necessary to know not merely what he does but also what he purposely leaves undone. There is a limit to the work that can be got out of a human body or a human brain, and he is a wise man who wastes no energy on pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he is still wiser who, from among the things he can do well, chooses and resolutely follows the best.” I pray that this article was beneficial to you, and that you will inshAllaah use it in your life.
And give yourself deadlines that you must absolutely keep, no matter what. This is especially true if you haven't gotten a formal deadline for some paper or project. For example you are self-employed and must get some work done that you want to present to someone to improve your business image. it's up to you when and how soon or how late you do this or if you never do it. If you must do it for your business sake but can't get around to doing it, giving yourself a deadline can be a great motivation. For example, you can give yourself the following deadline. By Jan. 15 the first draft must be complete and by Jan. 31 the final version. I'll turn it in on Feb 5 whether it's complete or not. This is a great motivation if you stick to it. I've used it for research projects that I had to do for my self-study course (which I had to turn in to the college for grading) and it worked well. Without it might not have done to work on time.
Maximize Use of Your Time With These Tips From the Seerah (Life of the Prophet)
Time is limited. Death is certain. However, our intention to live a productive life and to serve Allah and His creation will itself be enough to count as a positive action.
If you study the Seerah (life of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) with specific focus on his daily and regular routines, it is an eye-opener. How meticulous he was in planning every aspect of his day; how he prioritized tasks; how serious he was about keeping his word and how he kept his speech precise and not indulging in idle talk. He was the best of creation, Khayru-l-Khalq, and it is natural we should learn from his example.
Below are five lessons on time-management that we can draw from the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) enormously productive and purpose-driven life:
1. Be an Early Riser
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning).” [Ibn Majah]
Schedule your important tasks earlier in the day, especially those which require mental exercise, and watch the barakah (blessings) from Allah do the magic. If you have problems staying up after Fajr. In a nutshell, they are:
Go to bed early and rest
Untie your three knots
Perform the prescribed dhikr (remembrance of Allah) after Fajr
Aim to pray Duha
Recite/reflect on/memorize Qur’an
Exercise
Have a list of tasks ready
2. Schedule Your Day Around the Five Daily Prayers
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) which action is most beloved to Allah? He said: ‘Establishing prayer on time, honouring one’s parents and jihad in the cause of Allah.’”[Sunan an-Nasa'i]
Narrated Al-Aswad bin Yazid: I asked ‘Aisha “What did the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) do at home?” She said, “He used to work for his family, and when he heard the Adhan (call for the prayer), he would go out.”[Bukhari]
No compromises. The discipline to give up all your work and life’s distractions to perform Salah strengthens your willpower to live a purposeful life. Just as you endeavour to be punctual for meetings with your colleagues or project team mates, you should perform your Salah on time.
While some of us who are students or working professionals may find it difficult to pray on time, we can overcome this by discussing the issue with your colleagues or friends. If you find yourself constantly finding pockets of time to perform your Salah, your khushu’ (Concentration in prayer) will be affected. Performing your Salah on time will energize you — once you have fulfilled your most important obligation, the rest will become easy for you.
3. Prioritize and Be Consistent
If we look into the Seerah, we can deduce that the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) day was divided into three main parts.
Spiritual development: This was the time he dedicated solely to Allah. It was typically the late part of the night when the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) would recharge himself spiritually for the next day and boost his resolve to face the challenges in his mission. It was during the night that he engaged in intimate communication with his Lord, the Source of all strength and empowerment, through qiyam (night prayer), Dua (supplication) and Dhikr.
Family affairs: The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was consistent in making time for family matters.
Annas ibn Malik said: “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was the most merciful of people towards members of his family. He had his son (Ibrahim) suckled in part of Madina and the husband of his wet-nurse was a blacksmith. We used to go to him and the house would be full of smoke from the bellows. He would kiss the child and take him in his lap.”[Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
Narrated ‘Aisha: that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The best of you is the best to his wives, and I am the best of you to my wives, and when your companion dies, leave him alone.”[Jami' at-Tirmidhi]
Personal/Social affairs: He consistently made time for his followers so no one felt neglected or had their affairs swept under the carpet. This was the time when men and women would come with their personal, marital, financial, spiritual and even health problems. This is when he would receive delegations from other nations and faith group or attend to nerve-racking issues of politics, conflicts and leadership.
Figure out the real priorities in your life: What is worth spending an hour on? What comes first? What is a must-do and what is good-to-do? Allocate time consistently to activities that matter. Unless you plan for and schedule time for community work, studies or attending to parents, your spouse or children on a daily basis, they are not considered important enough to you. Chances are, you will eventually start neglecting these high priority actions.
4. Hasten in Doing Good
Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had a sense of urgency in doing good and warned others against procrastination.
Narrated ‘Uqba bin Al-Harith: Once the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) offered the Asr prayer and then hurriedly went to his house and returned immediately. I (or somebody else) asked him (as to what was the matter) and he said, “I left at home a piece of gold which was from the charity and I disliked to let it remain a night in my house, so I got it distributed.”[Bukhari]
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) having said: Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast and (the death) of one of you or the general turmoil.[Muslim]
Procrastinators do not appreciate time nor the means and the opportunities that Allah gives them to be productive. Each day has its own share of work and each time has its own share of obligations. Therefore, in the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) life, there was no such thing as idle time. Use every single opportunity to do good. Don’t wait to ‘get old’ to fix your life. If you are not willing to live a purpose-driven, productive life now, then how do you expect to live such a life when you are old?
5. Honouring the Time of Others
Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was sensitive to his companions’ time and needs. His khutbahs (sermons) were brief, concise and powerful.
Abu Wa’il reported: ‘Ammar delivered to us the sermon. It was short and eloquent. When he (Ammar) descended (from the pulpit) we said to him: Abd al-Yaqzn, you have delivered a short and eloquent sermon. Would that you had lengthened (the sermon). He said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah as saying: The lengthening of prayer by a man and the shortness of the sermon is the sign of his understanding (of faith). So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon, for there is charm (in precise) expression.[Muslim]
Similarly, he emphasised the importance of fulfilling one’s promises.
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: Some women requested the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to fix a day for them as the men were taking all his time. On that he promised them one day for religious lessons and commandments.[Bukhari]
It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah said: Three are the signs of a hypocrite: when he spoke he told a lie, when he made a promise he acted treacherously against it, when he was trusted he betrayed.[Muslim]
Aim to arrive for meetings, classes and events 10 minutes before they are scheduled to start. If you are running late, inform the other parties. Honouring others’ time is part of fulfilling your promise. Breaking a promise not only causes inconvenience to others, but also causes you to lose their respect. The Qur’an says:
“… and fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be inquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).[Qur'an: Chapter 17, Verse 34]
Transforming your life into one that is much more productive, meaningful and enjoyable depends on one instantaneous decision:
Managing your time the way our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) taught us. Start NOW!
Maximize Use of Your Time With These Tips From the Seerah (Life of the Prophet)
Time is limited. Death is certain. However, our intention to live a productive life and to serve Allah and His creation will itself be enough to count as a positive action.
If you study the Seerah (life of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) with specific focus on his daily and regular routines, it is an eye-opener. How meticulous he was in planning every aspect of his day; how he prioritized tasks; how serious he was about keeping his word and how he kept his speech precise and not indulging in idle talk. He was the best of creation, Khayru-l-Khalq, and it is natural we should learn from his example.
Below are five lessons on time-management that we can draw from the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) enormously productive and purpose-driven life:
1. Be an Early Riser
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning).” [Ibn Majah]
Schedule your important tasks earlier in the day, especially those which require mental exercise, and watch the barakah (blessings) from Allah do the magic. If you have problems staying up after Fajr. In a nutshell, they are:
Go to bed early and rest
Untie your three knots
Perform the prescribed dhikr (remembrance of Allah) after Fajr
Aim to pray Duha
Recite/reflect on/memorize Qur’an
Exercise
Have a list of tasks ready
2. Schedule Your Day Around the Five Daily Prayers
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) which action is most beloved to Allah? He said: ‘Establishing prayer on time, honouring one’s parents and jihad in the cause of Allah.’”[Sunan an-Nasa'i]
Narrated Al-Aswad bin Yazid: I asked ‘Aisha “What did the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) do at home?” She said, “He used to work for his family, and when he heard the Adhan (call for the prayer), he would go out.”[Bukhari]
No compromises. The discipline to give up all your work and life’s distractions to perform Salah strengthens your willpower to live a purposeful life. Just as you endeavour to be punctual for meetings with your colleagues or project team mates, you should perform your Salah on time.
While some of us who are students or working professionals may find it difficult to pray on time, we can overcome this by discussing the issue with your colleagues or friends. If you find yourself constantly finding pockets of time to perform your Salah, your khushu’ (Concentration in prayer) will be affected. Performing your Salah on time will energize you — once you have fulfilled your most important obligation, the rest will become easy for you.
3. Prioritize and Be Consistent
If we look into the Seerah, we can deduce that the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) day was divided into three main parts.
Spiritual development: This was the time he dedicated solely to Allah. It was typically the late part of the night when the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) would recharge himself spiritually for the next day and boost his resolve to face the challenges in his mission. It was during the night that he engaged in intimate communication with his Lord, the Source of all strength and empowerment, through qiyam (night prayer), Dua (supplication) and Dhikr.
Family affairs: The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was consistent in making time for family matters.
Annas ibn Malik said: “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was the most merciful of people towards members of his family. He had his son (Ibrahim) suckled in part of Madina and the husband of his wet-nurse was a blacksmith. We used to go to him and the house would be full of smoke from the bellows. He would kiss the child and take him in his lap.”[Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
Narrated ‘Aisha: that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The best of you is the best to his wives, and I am the best of you to my wives, and when your companion dies, leave him alone.”[Jami' at-Tirmidhi]
Personal/Social affairs: He consistently made time for his followers so no one felt neglected or had their affairs swept under the carpet. This was the time when men and women would come with their personal, marital, financial, spiritual and even health problems. This is when he would receive delegations from other nations and faith group or attend to nerve-racking issues of politics, conflicts and leadership.
Figure out the real priorities in your life: What is worth spending an hour on? What comes first? What is a must-do and what is good-to-do? Allocate time consistently to activities that matter. Unless you plan for and schedule time for community work, studies or attending to parents, your spouse or children on a daily basis, they are not considered important enough to you. Chances are, you will eventually start neglecting these high priority actions.
4. Hasten in Doing Good
Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had a sense of urgency in doing good and warned others against procrastination.
Narrated ‘Uqba bin Al-Harith: Once the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) offered the Asr prayer and then hurriedly went to his house and returned immediately. I (or somebody else) asked him (as to what was the matter) and he said, “I left at home a piece of gold which was from the charity and I disliked to let it remain a night in my house, so I got it distributed.”[Bukhari]
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) having said: Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast and (the death) of one of you or the general turmoil.[Muslim]
Procrastinators do not appreciate time nor the means and the opportunities that Allah gives them to be productive. Each day has its own share of work and each time has its own share of obligations. Therefore, in the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) life, there was no such thing as idle time. Use every single opportunity to do good. Don’t wait to ‘get old’ to fix your life. If you are not willing to live a purpose-driven, productive life now, then how do you expect to live such a life when you are old?
5. Honouring the Time of Others
Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was sensitive to his companions’ time and needs. His khutbahs (sermons) were brief, concise and powerful.
Abu Wa’il reported: ‘Ammar delivered to us the sermon. It was short and eloquent. When he (Ammar) descended (from the pulpit) we said to him: Abd al-Yaqzn, you have delivered a short and eloquent sermon. Would that you had lengthened (the sermon). He said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah as saying: The lengthening of prayer by a man and the shortness of the sermon is the sign of his understanding (of faith). So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon, for there is charm (in precise) expression.[Muslim]
Similarly, he emphasised the importance of fulfilling one’s promises.
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: Some women requested the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to fix a day for them as the men were taking all his time. On that he promised them one day for religious lessons and commandments.[Bukhari]
It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah said: Three are the signs of a hypocrite: when he spoke he told a lie, when he made a promise he acted treacherously against it, when he was trusted he betrayed.[Muslim]
Aim to arrive for meetings, classes and events 10 minutes before they are scheduled to start. If you are running late, inform the other parties. Honouring others’ time is part of fulfilling your promise. Breaking a promise not only causes inconvenience to others, but also causes you to lose their respect. The Qur’an says:
“… and fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be inquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).[Qur'an: Chapter 17, Verse 34]
Transforming your life into one that is much more productive, meaningful and enjoyable depends on one instantaneous decision:
Managing your time the way our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) taught us. Start NOW!
This is a pretty cool thread...though in the first post, I don't think anyone should be reading anything and driving at the same time...unless of course you mean audio tape.
When I'm on computer I use this http://tomato-timer.com/#, if you go on facebook or something just choose "Short break" and after 5 minutes it will beep if your wasting too much time on it
The way to manage your time is simple. Prioritize your work.
By prioritizing, you can get more done in less time and feel fulfilled too.
If you notice, a lot of time is spent on unnecessary things, especially in the information age where you have so many distractions. With so many distractions, we are doing this thing and that thing and most of it is not necessary at all! Some can even be regarded useless. For example, I'm a quiz addict (those Facebook personality quiz types) and i'll do one after the other and if i don't stop myself, i'll probably spend hours doing such quizzes . This can result in necessary tasks being left undone, which in turn causes stress and the feeling of being overburdened with too much work, when the actual problem is poor time management.
So how do you manage your time? What you need to do is to identify the few tasks that you must absolutely get done. These are "urgent and important tasks" that need to get done immediately. Other tasks may be important but not urgent. While others are urgent but not important and yet others are neither urgent nor important. Identifying and separating the tasks you need to get done from those that don't need your immediate attention will help you manage your time more effectively and reduce your workload and stress levels.
What are the two or three tasks you absolutely need to get done today? Make sure you do them. Writing those tasks in your diary will ensure you stay on target. However, limit writing down just a few tasks. Too many will make the process useless. (If they're things you have to do on a regular basis, like every day, then train your mind to remember to do them. If they're things you do on the computer, then they should be the first things you do when you get on the computer / go online.)
And remember to check your diary throughout the day and put aside everything else to get your important work done. Once you're done with them, you can tend to other, less important tasks. In this way, you will be able to stay on target, get the necessary work done, and not overburden yourself.
When I'm on computer I use this http://tomato-timer.com/#, if you go on facebook or something just choose "Short break" and after 5 minutes it will beep if your wasting too much time on it
I like the idea of a timer lol. I could have fun with it.
*Set up timer to short break.
Start writing IB post.
Press submit when the timer goes off whether post is complete or not*
EVERY year when Ramadan is around the corner, there is a flurry of activity in preparing for it. Whether it’s stocking up on food or spirituality, one of the most daunting feelings is how to make the most of it. How do we make every second count in this amazingly blessed month?
I used to consider the idea of doing more than usual in Ramadan a bit hypocritical – if we don’t make the effort during the rest of the year, how can we take advantage of this month like that? But I have come to the understanding that ideas like that are from Shaytan, and when Allah showers us with such mercy, we make the most of it!
The same way most people go crazy in a sale, buying more simply because of the reduced prices, we should avail the multiplied rewards in this month and try to fit in as much as possible.
Plan Your Basic Goals Now:
Ramadan is meant for more direct worship – fasting, praying, Qur’an, du’aa, charity, etc. Ideally, these are all goals that we should set – to do more in each of these areas. If there is something specifically that you have been wanting to improve on though, but didn’t quite get around to it during the year, now is your chance – working on your salah, for example, or understanding the Qur’an. Everything's better with an action plan.
Figure Out Your Schedule:
With Ramadan being in the summer, either you’ll be working as usual, or you’ll be on holiday. Whatever stage of life you’re at, figure out what your schedule is going to look like during that month and work around it. Make sure your goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).
Don’t try to overburden yourself, leading to a burnout, but be realistic in planning your ‘ibadah. Personally, I always prefer having more things on my to-do list than less. If you are not going to fall into a panicked state having not met every single one of your items, having more on your list means that if you end up with more time on your hands than you anticipated, you won’t be lost for ideas of how to fill your time.
Plan Your Day The Night Before:
As much planning we do now, only when Ramadan actually starts can we assess our energy levels and the way our days might go. This is my first Ramadan with a husband and in-laws, so I can only guess at this point what it’s going to be like!
Always tweak your schedule to fit your day if needs be, and plan what you’re going to do the next day the night before. There’s nothing like starting your day with a plan already in place!
Have Specific Times Set Aside:
There is nothing like ritual to help keep us in check. Once you have identified your schedule, assign specific times for specific ‘ibadah to ensure that you carry it out. Reciting the Qur’an after Fajr, for example, studying it during what would normally be lunchtime, etc. Being specific with your time aids your goal-setting in being measurable and achievable as well, as it makes it easier to set targets to be reached by the end of the month.
Be Strict With Yourself:
In making the most of this blessed month, there will be times when we want to slack, or take more breaks than necessary. Maybe we incorporate mundane activities in our day hence making less time for ‘ibadah. Even though the Shaytan is locked up, our nafs can pull us down when we push ourselves to do more.
This is where early preparation is key (by early, I mean months in advance), but what can you do when you’re in the middle of Ramadan?Be strict with yourself. Keep reminding yourself of how incredibly blessed this month is, how much you can reap in rewards, and how you don’t get this chance at any other time. What if this is your last Ramadan? We don’t want to end it with a load of regret. Keep pushing yourself to do one more act of worship.
Be Flexible Too:
There will be days when life intervenes and your day is thrown off its usual course. Don’t panic: remember to be flexible with yourself if you absolutely have to, but flexibility does not mean giving up on your goals.
In trying to get as much done as possible, try halving your must-dos instead of scrapping it completely. Recite half the number of pages of Qur’an you were supposed to, or study half the amount you set for yourself, or pray less rak’ahs of nafl than you meant to – depending on what part of the day your schedule got taken over.
Make The Most Of Waiting Time:
There will still be time in the day that we spend waiting: whether it’s in traffic, on the road, or while attending to our kids. These mundane moments can turn into a jackpot for you by keeping your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah.
Be it dhikr, revising Qur’an that you’ve memorised, or even pondering about our Rabb, connect to Allah in the smallest ways.
Alternatively, make sure that your intention at that moment – no matter what you’re doing – is to earn the Pleasure of Allah ﷻ. This makes acts like going to work in order to support one’s family, or spending time with one’s children – all acts that take up a chunk of one’s day – worship too.
Don’t Skimp On Your Night Sleep:
With the nights being extremely short in some countries this summer, some might think it would be easier to stay awake till suhoor, but our bodies need the night sleep to function properly, even if it’s just for a couple of hours. Take scheduled naps in the day too to energize yourself and keep going. Drink plenty of water from iftar to suhoor so that you can stay hydrated during the day.
Whether you’re a mother, student, worker, or a new Muslim, don’t let this month daunt you, stress you out, or leave you in regret.
Planning is key, so start now, and make du’a for barakah in your time, as well as the strength to keep going – physically and spiritually. It is the hallmark of a believer that he leaves Ramadan wishing he had done more, because no amount of ‘ibadah is enough, but the least we can do is our best.
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Time management tips for Muslims
Insaanah liked this post
. This can result in necessary tasks being left undone, which in turn causes stress and the feeling of being overburdened with too much work, when the actual problem is poor time management.
When I'm on computer I use this http://tomato-timer.com/#, if you go on facebook or something just choose "Short break" and after 5 minutes it will beep if your wasting too much time on it
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