Self-auditing Your Schedule

 Time and time management are the most important aspects of your daily life. Time imposes a hard limit on what you can achieve and are able to do, and Allah swears by the passage of time in the Qur’an -

(وَٱلْعَصْرِ’ (103:1

Every part of one’s conditions, growth, development, movements, actions, and morality take place within time, and time is limited. Applying this to the example of us as Muslim students, we need to use the finite resource of time to study, progress in our degrees, and to pray and engage in worship. Hence, with more time, we can excel in these domains further. So how do you get more time? You take a look at what you already have.

The phrase ‘I don’t have enough time’ is something you hear and probably say to yourself all too often, whether it be in response to a piece of advice or as a general venting complaint. The phrase is slightly misleading, however. It implies that we are already operating at maximum efficiency, in fully optimised schedules without white space. In truth, I don’t think anyone’s life is like that.

When we say that we don’t have time, more often than not, it is a matter of priority rather than one of time. For this reason, it is important to occasionally reflect and audit your use of time (this doesn’t mean strike out all forms of entertainment and leisure time as ‘time-wasting'). Now is a good time to start thinking about this ahead of Ramadan, where your routine and productivity will be put to the test. 

Having now established the importance of your time, what are the practical methods in which you can maximise it? Firstly, and it goes without saying, protect your time for Salah, reading the Quran, and dhikr. Use these as the scaffolding around which the rest of your schedule is built.

The next most important thing to do is to build and maintain discipline in your schedule. Motivation waxes and wanes over the course of months and is an unreliable engine of productivity. Although it should not be ignored, discipline should be prioritised over it. One of the best things I found to help me was waking up early and starting my day without wasting time in bed. The morning is the most beautiful time of day; there is barakah in it that isn’t found elsewhere: 

Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

“Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until the sun has risen, then he prays two Rak’ah, then for him is the reward like that of a Hajj and Umrah.” (Sahih Tirmidhi no. 586). 

A simple morning routine is a good base upon which to build the rest of your schedule.

Another overlooked part of your schedule is the awkward blank space spent while you’re waiting to leave the house or travelling on the bus/train. Depending on your commute, that time can add up to a good few hours over the week. Use that time to do dhikr, read the Quran, or look over your lecture notes instead of staring out the windows listlessly.

Once you have a solid routine, it’s key to know what you are actually going to do in your ‘working hours’. It sounds silly, but a good amount of time does get wasted on deciding what you are going to do when you sit down to work. For example, you might sit down to begin an essay or assignment and have no clue where to begin, or sit down to review lectures and end up kind of floating around before really locking in on a single lecture.

The last tip, which ties into the rest and is just as important, is to keep time for what you enjoy, and don’t sacrifice everything for work. A week of nothing but study might return amazing results in the short term, but looking at net results over a month will show compensatory burnout in the weeks following. Avoid it by not giving yourself a reason to do so.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but inshallah, these tips can help you improve your schedule. Try to start applying them as soon as possible, not just when Ramadan begins. 

Barakallahu feekum.

- Abdulsattar Hussain