6 Easy Steps to Better Time Management
You may
complain that the day ends without accomplishing anything or completing a task,
which leaves you feeling frustrated. Yet at the same time, this situation
places you before a new challenge: how to make good use of your time each day.
Investing your
time is not difficult; it simply depends on your willingness to make a
change—even a small one—and to achieve something, however minor. What matters
is that you feel you have ended the day with a meaningful accomplishment.
Here,
accomplishment does not refer to grand dreams or future ambitions. Rather, it
means successfully carrying out a task or finishing something that had been
lingering in your mind. What matters is that your day brings you some benefit.
We offer you
six simple steps; if followed, they will organize your time and raise your
level of productivity.
First: Remember well that time is a blessing from Allah, so preserve it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings be upon him) said: “Two blessings which many people squander: Good health and
free time.” (Al-Bukhari). And on the authority of Abdullah
ibn Abbas, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Take advantage
of five before five: your life before your death, your health before your
sickness, your free time before your busyness, your youth before your old age,
and your wealth before your poverty.” (Al-Albani).
Second: Define your priorities and goals each day, even if they are small. For
example: I will finish reading a portion of the Quran; I will study one unit of
a subject; I will visit someone; I will exercise; I will clean my room. The
important thing is to set a goal each day and carry it out. This means you will
achieve 30 small goals in one month.
Third: Beware of procrastination. Do not postpone today’s
work until tomorrow, and do not tell yourself that you will begin at the start
of the week or the beginning of next month. Rather, identify the tasks you have
been delaying, then break them into smaller, easier steps. This will help you
psychologically and mentally to achieve some of your goals and rid yourself of
the disease of delay and procrastination.
Fourth: Avoid distractions and diversions such as social media, phones,
television, and the like. Also, stay away from your bed so you do not convince
yourself that you are tired and need rest. Focus only on what you want, keep a
clear goal before your eyes, and always remember that the feeling of
accomplishment comes after completing your tasks.
Fifth: You may cooperate with others in developing a
time-management strategy. For example, divide major tasks among family members;
seek help from friends in carrying out charitable work; commit with a friend to
consistently work on something such as memorizing the Quran or exercising; or
study with a colleague. Assistance from others can be an effective strategy to
improve your performance and increase your productivity.
Sixth: Avoid multitasking and creating a long list of goals
within a short time. This will burden you and lead to frustration, as you will
most likely be unable to complete them. It will also negatively affect your
focus and creativity in your work.
To avoid
multitasking, choose one task and devote all your attention and time to it
until you complete it. Then prepare a list of the tasks you need to accomplish
and determine the most important among them, starting gradually. Let your goal
be to achieve one small task on the first day, two on the second, a third on
the third day, and so on, until you overcome the crisis of wasted time and
become a successful investor of your free hours.
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5 Tips for Time Management in Ramadan
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Ramadan... Priorities in Preparation and Work
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