Have you ever come to work or woken up in the morning with a drive to be productive and just get lots done, to achieve and progress? As the day escapes and time slips away you find you’re not even denting your to-do list and in fact your whole focus has changed? I have already started thinking about forming habits that will benefit me during Ramadan, you probably think this seems a bit pre-mature but good habits take time to form and starting now will mean that Ramadan will In sha Allah be productive. The Sahabah used to prepare for Ramadan at least 6 months prior to the blessed month. The first place to start is to assess your day, are you busy or are you productive?

You are busy but are you productive?

Over the years I have worked on improving productivity and focus in both my personal and professional life. Working in the charity sector made me understand priorities change. Start-up life also teaches you a lot due to the pace of work, by far Motherhood has taught me the most about the importance of things like planning and prayer. You can always improve and try new things too, some things don’t always go to plan but you can have a plan for that too!

I believe you can change from being the person who is always late to always on time and become more organised and thus productive.

I have used a few tools to help at times for various projects from Trello to Wunderlist to Bullet journalling which can be valuable tools to help you focus and in turn be more productive. Also understanding the value of time and our purpose on earth can hugely influence our behavior and in turn output.

If you are struggling with being productive then learning about the blessings of time is a good place to start. Remember we all have the exact same 24 hours.

Here are a few tips on productivity and focus. Some are observations and others things I have done myself. Here are the 5P’S to a more productive and focused day.

PRAY

Prayer is your first tool to productivity. If you want something, pray for it, make dua and pour your heart out during salah. Being on time for prayer and developing Khushoo will also help you focus in wider life, it is core to who we are and personally has helped me.

POMODORO

Each 25-minute work period is called a “pomodoro”, named after the Italian word for tomato. The method was named after Francesco Cirillo who used a kitchen timer for the method, the timer being shaped like a tomato. It helps you focus by keeping things fresh (no pun intended) and there is an element of urgency. I would recommend it for tasks like clearing your Monday Inbox or cleaning the communal areas in your home.

PLANS

If you feel life is living you it can be a sign you are just reacting to life as opposed to having a plan. Often as Muslims we look to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for inspiration and strength in personal matters, planning was a skill that he displayed. We can see this in the hadith

“Tie up the camel and trust in Allah.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2517)

His actions also showed us he was a meticulous planner but also adaptable should a tragedy strike.

PUSH NOTIFICATIONS

Simply put them off, our I-phones are one of the biggest distractions in our lives. How many times have you been consumed with your phone mid-task, half-way through making dinner or whilst typing an email. I find having no notifications on my phone helps or you can put your phone into Aeroplane mode and focus on an important task.

PRIORITISE

Starting the day with the most important tasks can set you off in good stead. Once you accomplish the task, you feel motivated and it can help drive you to continue to do more. Look at your list and choose the most important. Remember urgent and important are two different things!