Ramadan is a time of the year that Muslims around the world eagerly look forward to as it comes and goes with utter bliss. Universally, we get excited for the religious growth, yummy food, cozy decorations and the quality time spent with loved ones while in remembrance of God throughout the month as it passes us by. Prior to the start of Ramadan, we should all work on ways to prepare and set ourselves up for ultimate productivity. Working on time management skills & finding resources that provide spiritual value help us take as much as we can from such a beautiful but fast paced month. Here are some tips to help you stay work efficient as well as spiritually efficient even while you’re mentally checked out in salvation over the smell of mama’s good ole Ramadan cooking.
Pretty much everyone has access to the Internet these days, and luckily there are an array of tools and resources readily available to provide and promote access to religious content. We recommend using the resources available to you a few days before Ramadan, and preparing them to be available to you all throughout the month. This will help you to better organize your religious goals, and the information you know you want to study and invest the little energy you have from last night’s iftar that is slowly but surely running thin on.
Here are some websites with beneficial religious value:
- Teach Mideast – An Educational Initiative of the Middle East Policy Council
- George Town University- Lessons on Islamic Beliefs and Practices
- Free Islamic Course
Here are some instagram accounts to learn from as well:
Now, we know you might be concerned about how to make do of that energy we discussed earlier that starts running thin in order to swiftly and proficiently complete these tasks, right? Well grab that midnight katayef and fear no more as we have the very solution for you. There is a clear commonality between us all in Ramadan, (aside from Ramadan breath) and that is a shortage in energy expenditure. So when working on giving yourself more energy, or even just retaining energy there are a few key things we recommend you actively do. Your days in Ramadan tend to start earlier than usual which is typically around fajr time, meaning that you need to have methods of retaining energy, here are our favorite methods to the madness :
- It’s important to make sure you’re getting an adequate amount of sleep especially since sleepiness outside of hunger can exhaust you even more than usual and is overall just a really draining combination. We know you desire to stay up and binge watch your favorite series on your laptops in bed after taraweeh, but that will hinder you the next day and surely set your productivity meter back.
- If you're someone who is rather caffeine dependent, it might be a good idea to follow a good night's sleep by waking up at suhoor and having coffee (with water to reduce thirst throughout the day) and stay awake as opposed to going back to bed. This way you can get more work done earlier, and rest later in the evening as iftar approaches.
- Lastly, make conscious decisions in what you invest your energy in. This means if you have to choose between using your free time to catch up on Quran reading or watching TV to pass time, find a way to allow yourself both. You don’t have to force yourself to not do the things you enjoy, but rather force yourself to organize your time management and accomplish desired tasks accordingly.
After spending time in preparation for an optimal month spiritually, and emotionally by utilizing all resources available, the next step is to step into the spirit of Ramadan. We recommend doing so by adding touches of Ramadan and Islamic décor all throughout your home to inspire a well-spirited environment. Here are some small businesses that offer breathtaking Islamic décor for your home!
Ramadan Décor and Decorative Inspiration Accounts:
Eating is a big part of Ramadan as it symbolizes the end of our supplication for the day through being humbly grateful for the food that has been provided to us as the sun sets. We want to share with you some accounts on instagram that can give you tastes of the middle east with their divine recipes throughout the month for you to look forward to. We guarantee these recipes will make fasting all the more exciting as maghrib approaches and the idea of devouring these meals a thrilling experience.
Iftar/Food Inspiration Accounts
- @fufuinthekitchen
- @cookingwith_maha
- @nadiatommalieh
- @feelgoodfoodie
- @mxriyum (tiktok)
- @nadiadiaspora