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Do not delay your prayers. The sign of a dedicated and productive Muslim is not only that he never misses his prayer, but also that he stops whatever he is doing to rush to his prayers as soon as he hears the call to prayer.
If you do not do so, it is possible that you get carried away with your work or get distracted by some otherworldly matter. And as a result, you will end up forgetting Allah.
Allah (SWT) says: “O you who believe, let neither your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah. And those who do so, they will be the losers.” – [Quran 63:9]
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A great tip to be more productive during Ramadan is to read the Qur’an whenever you can. Read the Qur’an while traveling to work; or in the waiting room at your doctor’s appointment, or in the time it takes for the soup to simmer.
Basically, the point is to use whatever time you have without wasting it. A good way to make this task easier for you is to get yourself a set of mini Qur’ans that are separated into small books for each chapter, which you can also carry around easily.
Short naps through the day will help you from running out of energy, especially since it’s important that you do not oversleep in the morning or evening. A couple of well-timed catnaps will do the trick, leaving you energized, and enough time to get your work done and do plenty of ibadah.
Have a Ramadan checklist prepared beforehand, and make sure you follow your goals every day. Tick the tasks you have completed off as you do them, and try to get as many ticks as possible before the day ends. This is a good way to have a productive workday in Ramadan as it will motivate you and also remind yourself to complete whatever is left.
For more tips on how to prepare a Ramadan checklist, check out HalalTrip’s ‘A Must-Have Ramadan Checklist for Every Muslim’ article.
A good way to have a productive workday during Ramadan is to set yourself a day plan and follow it religiously. Plan out when to wake up, what time to leave to and from work, what you will do as soon as you get back from work, etc.
Even if you’re just meant to take a nap, having it planned out will make sure that you do not waste your time. Otherwise, you might feel unsure of how to use up some free time you have, like half an hour in the morning before work, or during your lunch break, which inevitably will become time wasted.
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Making sure your meal plan is balanced, nutritious, and healthy is one of the ways to maximize productivity during Ramadan. Food is the body’s fuel, so make sure what you’re eating is good. Eating healthy meals during iftar and suhoor will keep you active and motivated. Unhealthy foods will weigh you down and make you tired and lethargic throughout the day.
Some people tend to miss suhoor in favor of some extra sleep time. Others skip it because they ate too much during the night and don’t feel like they can eat anymore. But having a healthy and balanced suhoor is vital in being productive during Ramadan.
For one, overeating during iftar or late at night is bad for you, and missing suhoor to catch up sleep will end up making you more tired, hungry, and lazy during the day.
The Prophet (saw) said, “Verily that which separates (i.e. distinguishes) between our fast and the fasting of the People of the Book (i.e. Jews and Christians) is the eating before dawn (Suhoor).”
Just as you must not miss suhoor, you must not delay breaking fast. Allah has made Islam easy for Muslims, so why do we insist upon making it more difficult for ourselves? Suhoor can be eaten until the adhan is called out for fajr prayers, and you can break your fast as soon as you hear the adhan for maghrib.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “My Ummah will not cease being upon goodness as long as they hasten in breaking the fast and delay the Suhoor.” – [Musnad Imam Ahmad]
Every moment counts during the holy month. Every minute you spend wasting your time is a lost opportunity to increase your good deeds. So, avoid the temptation to do activities that will make you waste time to be a productive Muslim this Ramadan. That means no candy crush and no Facebook!
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One of the ways to maximize productivity during Ramadan is to do dhikr while you work. Memorize a few duas and tasbihs before Ramadan and recite them to yourself while you go about your work. You can also use pre-recorded Surahs, hadeeth, or duas to help yourself memorize them while you’re in the kitchen, putting the baby to sleep, walking to work, etc.
