how I'm planning to get myself together before school starts as a Muslim student.
and you can too.
Summer holidays are almost over and I haven’t done most of the things I planned to.
Yeah yeah, I wrote the goals down. Working out, studying, new skills, all that.
But I still didn’t achieve it.
Why?
Because I didn’t have a plan to achieve it.
So this time, having learnt my lesson, I’m going to achieve my goals that I plan to achieve before school starts إن شاء الله.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Write down your goals.
Or the stuff to be done.
don’t forget to make the intention to improve for the sake of Allah! it can be hard, so always make du’a to help you do everything for His sake and His sake only.
If you wanna make long-term goals and actually achieve it, I recommend this post by Strategic Sunnah.
Otherwise, just quickly jot them down. In phone, paper, whichever way you prefer and is accessible right now.
Or you can complete this exercise using my notion template(didn’t include yet, lemme know if I should!).
It can be assignments, new skills, books to read, chores, etc.
Then break the goals into smaller tasks.
This is a very important step. Not doing this can have you overwhelmed and you end up doing nothing.
Say your goal is to finish at least a book by the end of summer.
Then you’re going to plan to finish a set number of pages, or chapters each day for a set period at a specific time.
eg: 1 Chapter of ‘X’ book every day at 4pm for 30 minutes.
Now prioritize the tasks.
For this, you can make an Eisenhower-Box and prioritize accordingly.
Also, don’t forget to say إن شاء اللَّه because…
And never say of anything, “I will definitely do this tomorrow,”
Qur’an 18:23
without adding, “if Allah so wills!” But if you forget, then remember your Lord, and say, “I trust my Lord will guide me to what is more right than this.”
Qur’an 18:24
Step 2: Plan.
Here’s where I went wrong:-
I wrote down my goals, but didn’t plan when and how to do it.
So we’re gonna plan out our routine.
You need to schedule out your whole day.
Or at least the morning.
So, as muslims, we should always try to stay up after fajr.
Why?
It was narrated from Sakhr Al-Ghamidi that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning)." (Sunan Ibn Majah 2236)
It can be hard, I know. But with du’a and some changes in our routine and sleep, إن شاء اللَّه we can.
Okay, now what exactly do we do after fajr?
firstly, you NEED TO PUT THE PHONE IN ANOTHER ROOM. forget it. or if you have to use it, then DO NOT TURN ON YOUR WIFI.
Morning Adhkar.
It’s quite easy, takes about 10-15 minutes. I use Life with Allah’s Dhikr and Du’a app for this and it’s incredibly helpful.Q
Qur’an.
Strive for at least 30 mins to an hourt
It’s okay if you can’t sit for that long. Gradually increase the time. Try listening to your favorite reciters, reading it’s translations or tafseer, etc.A
And to end it off, 2 rak’at of Salat Ad-Duha.
With regard to sitting after Fajr prayer until the sun rises then praying two rak’ahs, it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah, complete, complete, complete.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 586)
If it is hard, try starting off with dhikr after fajr for some time then add Qur’an and then Salat Ad-Duha.
The next part is something I learnt from Saufiyah’s Letter.
4 Hours of Deep Work. Or until Dhuhr.
Remember when we prioritized our goals and tasks? Yeah, here’s where we work on them.
1 sesh of each task, with 5-10 minutes break.
Here’s an example:
Say you finish Dhikr, Qur’an and salah at 6:00 AM.
Then grab your coffee and work for 55-60 mins on that daunting assignment.
break.
55-60 mins working on business, or new skill, etc. and repeat.
Of course with a larger break in between for breakfast.
Alternatively, you can use time-blocking if some tasks require more time.
You can plan it out right now in your google calendar.
Then spend the rest of your day as you wish.
Finishing off important tasks immediately in the morning has helped me so much alhamdulillah, and I how it helps you too إن شاء اللَّه .
Step 3: List out your obstacles.
Here’s some of mine which i think you might resonate with:
-PHONE
-chores
-SLEEP
Now there are two categories here. 1. Bad Habit/distraction and 2. Not planned out.
Anyways, I’m gonna plan out when to do my chores and habit-stack my sleeping routine.
For sleep, I eat after Maghrib, just before ‘Isha. Then pray, chores, and sleep. Or sometimes pray, remaining work, sleep.
And alhamdulillah, this has been helping sleep consistently at the same time everyday, although a little late than when I wish to be sleeping.
For phone, we’re going to apply James Clear’s method.
Which is:
1. Make it invisible.
Yep, that means putting your phone in another room, or giving it to someone else. I sometimes don’t recharge it so when I work, I’ll put it to charge in another room.
So, remove it from your sight.
2. Make it unattractive.
For this, you can watch videos on the effects of excessive phone usage.
Or try turning on black and white mode in your phone.
Focus on the positive outcomes of using your phone less, such as more free time, better sleep, etc.
3. Make it difficult.
Adding to the suggestions in the first point, you can try also try using app blockers.
Try switching Instagram or YouTube to website version.
4. Make it unsatisfying
You can try changing your home screen.
Remove social media apps from your home screen and place them in a less accessible folder.
Disable notifications, turn off non-essential notifications to reduce the urge to check your phone.
It can be overwhelming starting it all together at once.
So make sure you are trying at least 1% every day to achieve your routine and goals.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are those done regularly even if they are few. ' (Ibn Majah).
The Prophet(ﷺ) said “The most beloved of deeds to Allah are those that are most consistent, even if it is small.” (Bukhari)
important note:
not everyday is going to look like this. life happens, and it’s okay. it’s alright as long as you try to get back on track.
And that’s all, and I really pray it benefits you إن شاء اللَّه. Let me know how this goes!
‘till next time
السلام عليكم
— Shareefa.