1. Make the intention to make this
your best Ramadan ever
Most of us are familiar with this hadith:
“The deeds are considered by the
intentions, and a person will get the
reward according to his
intention.” [ Bukhari]
However, sometimes it is very easy to
overlook this simple yet profound act of
making the intention. I mean, with all our
heart. I really believe that the first
step to having an amazing Ramadan is
by taking a sincere decision to do our
best in every single way.
This is also true for everything we do in
life. We have to first decide and make the
intention to do something. Once we make
the intention, Allah will help guide our
steps, In sha Allah.3
2. Set clear goals
Last year, I was invited to conduct a
Ramadan workshop for a mixed-age
audience. When I asked what their
Ramadan goals were, an energetic young
woman raised her hand and remarked: “I
want to be more organized this Ramadan.”
Even though from the onset that sounds
like a great goal, and in essence it is,
however, it is not a clear goal.
When you set your Ramadan goals,
you want to be as specific as you can
get. For instance, instead of putting down
on your list “get more organized”, you
may want to say things like the following.
Read 5 pages of Qur’an after each
Salah.
Prepare 15 freezable dishes to cut down
cooking time.
Take a rejuvenating power nap in the
afternoon to be alert during taraweeh.
You get the drill, right?
Now pause your reading, grab a large
index card or piece of paper, and write
down 5 specific goals to make this
your best Ramadan ever.
One of my specific goals last year was to
read the Qur’an along with its meaning. I
do not know about you, but for me, as
someone whose native language is not
Arabic, knowing what I am reciting
enhances my experience of reading the
Qur’an cover-to-cover.
Remember to choose goals that you were
not able to accomplish last year. So, if you
always manage to pray taraweeh every
single night with no worries, then do not
put that down on your list. Choose new
things. Remember, we want to amp it up
this year.
3. Block the time to achieve your set
goals
Now that you have set your very specific
goals, you need to make a daily schedule
and make sure to block the time to
achieve your goals. Remember, only the
things that get scheduled are the
things that get done. That is just how it
works.
Therefore, simply recording your goals on
a flash card or notebook will not enable
you to get them done. You need to make
the time for any activity in your schedule
and actually write it down.
I encourage you to make a schedule of
your entire day, with half-hour to one-hour
blocks to do whatever you need to do on
any given day. It may sound very rigid, but
it really is not. On the contrary, scheduling
your day will free up your time because
when you get things done in a timely
fashion, you will have more free time to
rest and rejuvenate yourself.
4. Minimize distractions
Let’s face it, we live in a world of
distractions. All our emails, texts, social-
media notifications can distract us from
what truly matters.
Now, I am not suggesting we give up all
our gadgets. Not at all. But when we
answer all the calls and notifications, in a
way, we become slaves to our devices. On
the other hand, if we choose to take
charge, we decide not to let them distract
us. When we put them on silent or airplane
mode, we use our phones and all kinds of
electronics to their intended maximum
potential. As a result, they become great
tools to assist us in our daily tasks and can
help us maximize our productivity.
There are some great apps that can help
us track our time, memorize the Qur’an, or
give us a daily hadith to ponder over.
These are all great tools. However, we
need to learn to use technology to serve
us, instead of us becoming servants to it.
5. Plan ahead to simplify your life
Whether it is about preparing your meals
or gifts for Eid, planning ahead will save
you much needed time.
Spend less time in the kitchen. From
samosas to grape leaves, everyone
wants to make something yummy for
their families, which can be great!
However, if you and your family are
spending a huge amount of time at the
supermarket or in the kitchen preparing
a feast every single day, you are really
missing out on the true meaning of
Ramadan. So, a little simplicity can go a
long way.
Make a menu for the entire month.
Make sure to keep it healthy and simple.
If you know you will have guests on
certain nights, you can make those Iftars
a little more elaborate if you choose to.
Otherwise, think of easy-to-make soups,
salads, and plenty of hydrating foods to
break your fast.
Cook ahead. It really does not take
much for one to feel satisfied. Think of
meals that taste great the next day so
that way, you can cook enough for two
days, hence saving your time and
energy.
Prepare by freezing. Many casseroles,
pasta dishes, and other meals freeze
wonderfully. This can save precious time
that should be spent in worship rather
than cooking.
The key is to remind yourself of the true
meaning of Ramadan every single day to
help you prioritize your activities.
As for getting ready for Eid, something
that works really well for my family is to
get ready before Ramadan. Yes, do all
your Eid shopping before the moon is
sighted.
Why spend any precious second shopping
at the mall or browsing for hours online?
Get all the gifts for your loved ones ahead
of time, preferably wrapping them and
hiding them. Now, if you are buying
something really big and hard to hide,
then you just have to be creative!
Shopping ahead also includes those
special Eid clothes. Make sure you get
them ahead of time as well. Just make a
list of everything and get it done.
Trust me, it is possible to be all ready
before the month begins, if you are
strategic about it.
6. Dedicate yourself to service
This one is huge! It is all about using
your talents, skills, and resources to
make a difference in the lives of
others, which can be accomplished in
many ways.
You can bake some goodies and deliver
them to your neighbors with a kind and
caring note. Action is the best form of
da’wah to show how beautiful Islam is. You
can visit the sick and elderly in the
hospitals and nursing homes. You can
cook some food for your local masjid for
people to break their fast with.
The options are so abundant, all you have
to do is be willing to make a difference
and take action.
7. Make the Qur’an a top priority
I saved the best for the last! Having
touched upon the idea of prioritizing our
time in step 5, it is very important for us to
keep the focus of the month of Ramadan
on the Qur’an and remembrance of Allah .
Allah tells us very clearly:
“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which
was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for
the people and clear proofs of guidance
and criterion.” [ Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse
185]
We need to block the time to recite and
study the Qur’an. We need to ponder over
its meaning. This is the month in which it
was revealed. So, we really have to get
serious about learning about the greatest
miracle of our beautiful religion.
I wish you and your families an amazingly
productive and meaningful Ramadan. In
sha Allah, these tips will help you prepare
to make this Ramadan your most
productive one yet. If you have any of
your own tips to be more productive in
Ramadan, please share them in the
comments!