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Time Management in Islam: 4 Ways to Manage Your Time- Which one is Best for You?

How many times have you heard said this: there’s no barakah in time. 

Despite doing everything- from applying tactics in books and videos to using apps, time management is still a dream for many. 

Which begs the question- is it even possible to manage your time or is it just theory and vague concepts? That’s what I used to ask myself when I was desperately trying everything to make more time for my Deen. I felt lost. Confused. Overwhelmed. 

So today, I’m going to share with you 4 different approaches to time-management. And by the end, you’ll know exactly which one will work best for you. So let’s boogie! 🙂

 

Modern productivists commonly talk about three models of time-management. Take a look at them>>

Time Management in Islam – 4 Ways to Manage your Time

time management in islam

1. THE CLASSIC TIME-MANAGEMENT MODEL

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This is the most common approach to time-management. It’s centrally focused on the management of the “time” itself. When you type time-management in google or time-management courses on Udemy, you’ll find methods such as:

  • Getting Things Done by David Ellen
  • Stephen Covey’s time management grid (Author of 7 Habits of highly Effective People)
  • ABC method
  • Pareto’s principle- 80/20 rule.
  • Eisenhower Matrix for prioritizing.
  • Pickle Jar theory for prioritizing between goals. (rocks, sand, pebbles and water)
  • Parallel Programming method
  • ALPEN method
  • Maslow’s Theory (showing the hierarchy of human needs)
  • Eat the frog by Brian Tracy
  • And many more…
This regular “time-management” approach covers all different kinds of methods from techniques for prioritization, to task-management methods and project-management systems etc. 

The only problem is- NOT A SINGLE ONE of the systems is targeted specifically for Muslims.

Although the methods in this model can actually help us prioritize better and become more productive but not a SINGLE one is designed specifically for Muslims. 

Let’s have a look at the second approach…

2. THE WORK/ LIFE BALANCE MODEL

This is another model that you’ll read about in the entrepreneurial magazines.

Work/ life balance is a term commonly used by people who work 9 to 5, originally coined in the late 1970s.   

“Work/life” balance is at best an elusive ideal and at worst a complete myth, today’s senior executives will tell you.” (Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams wrote that in a March 2014 Harvard Business Review article)

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This model is faulty at so many levels but the biggest one is probably the separation of “work” from “life”. It clearly demarcates “work” from everything else that’s thrown in the “life” part which, by the way, comes AFTER work.

In other words, the work itself is at the center of focus and weighs equally or heavier than the “rest of the life”.

And what of work-from-home entrepreneurs? Or people with 2 jobs and debts to pay off? And housewives who are technically not working a 9 to 5 job? Who can clearly measure their level of productivity?

Plus, there can always be interruptions from “life” during our work hours and interruptions from work during the rest of our time. How can we separate life from work? We can’t. And where do we put Islam? and Family? 

Then later there appeared this newer version of the work/ life balance model, this time called…

3. “Work/life-integration” model.

This approach allowed people to connect the two areas of life but that’s the problem- yet again, this approach also focuses on ONLY TWO areas of life: work and life. And by life, what’s meant by these secular gurus is family and self-time.

That’s why ALL of these secular time-management models are faulty at SO many levels. They compartmentalize work and life. And WORK takes the bigger compartment while everything else (family, self, social) gets shoved into LIFE. *As if!* 

What about Ibadah? And learning about Deen? These models can’t work for us Muslims because there’s a HUGE area that’s missing from all of the above models: IBADAH.

We can’t ignore our Salah during work nor can we ignore the fact that we have to fast during Ramadan, even if that means fasting while work. 

We have to make time for Allah S.W.T and Quran regardless of our work-situation.  

Which is why all of the above are INCOMPLETE models of time management that don’t fully solve the problems Muslims are facing today.

This brings me to the fourth and the final model…

4. The Barakah Model

“And have you seen that seed which you sow? Is it you who makes it grow or are We the Grower?”. [Quran 56: 63-64]

Barakah completes the time-management model. When all the rest of the models are so adamant on improving your task-management skills and getting your prioritization methods right (both of which are undeniably important), barakah covers the spiritual aspect of productivity. It brings more “soul-elements” to the concept of time-management. 

Besides the Barakah approach, no other model is designed specifically for Muslims. All the rest of these secular time-management models completely cut off the Quran and Sunnah limbs from time-management.

Plus, all the strategies in these secular approaches are rationalized by the psychology of ‘the mind’ with no concept of Nafs/ Shaytan. Meh.

Also, notice how all these secular time management methods talk about how to ‘manage’ time. Management implies ‘full control’. And our belief system shuns that idea because the complete control of everything is only for Allah S.W.T.

So let’s start by doing this first- THROW AWAY the idea of “managing” your time.

Time can’t be managed. Accept it. TIME IS NOT MONEY. Move on.

You can think about managing it and in the time you’re thinking- you’d have lost 30 seconds of your time. Those 30 secs are never coming back. So much so for “managing”. It is how it is.

Second, let’s allow time to manage itself.

I mean, why doesn’t anybody talk about what TIME should do itself to help you not the other way round…? 

Because last I checked, time could grow on its own…?

The Quran talks about it. The Sunnah proves it. YES! Attach Barakah to time and it WILL grow on its own!

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‘Growing time’ is not an exaggerated idea- it is totally REAL. Just because barakah is not tangible, doesn’t mean its effects are airy-fairy.

Here’s why:

Barakah is an Arabic word and experts break it down into 3 parts.

Now imagine attaching barakah to time- here’s what you’ll get:

Above and beyond measure, unexpected, constant, everlasting and stable INCREASE in our time.

Sounds heavenly! But what does that even mean in day-to-day life?

Here’s what it means for you and I:

What do you see when you look at the clock? The exact time.

4am, 10am, 3pm…

Everything about time appears to be right in front of you in the shape of a clock.

But what if it isn’t?

Imagine there’s a hidden Barakah-hand on that clock that moves time besides the visible hour-hand and minute-hand. This ‘barakah-hand’ is furiously working behind the scenes to increase the hours and minutes of your time.

So on a typical day, after finishing 3 important tasks… you look at the clock. Only 2.5 hours have passed and you’re already done with all the major tasks of the day?! How is that possible??

Before, you couldn’t even finish ONE major task in an entire day. This is so UNEXPECTED. It’s BEYOND what you imagined. 

Now imagine if that happened… not once, not twice… but every single day. Whenever you look at the time, it baffles you. You end up doing way more than you’ve been doing in the past.   

That is how REAL Barakah is. That is how POSSIBLE it is to enjoy the everlasting rewards of barakah. 

Let me tell you- there’s no HACK in the world… no productivity SECRET TACTIC that can promise those powerful results. Trust me because I’ve tried almost everything out there. NOTHING that secular time-management gurus teach you even remotely compares to the Barakah-approach.  

And get this- unlike the ‘common time-management methods’, Barakah is centrally focused around the RESULTS of your efforts.  

So by attaching barakah to our efforts, we can give the best chance of success to the results of our hard work— 

I know what y’all must be thinking right now. BARAKAH IS SO COOL, where do I get some? 😀

Don’t worry, it’s free for all. I’ve even attached a free swipe file where I’ve put together all the best sources of Barakah, get it by clicking the button below [NO OPT-IN REQUIRED]:

Sources of Barakah

Download the Sources barakah in Islam

time management in Islam

At this point, our minds are already brimming with so many questions

  • But I feel so lazy and waste so much time procrastinating…
  • How do I discipline myself to follow through and do what I plan?  
  • I don’t even know where to start…

RELAX. Let’s take one step at a time.

6 Comments

  1. Namea

    Jazakallah khairun for this beautiful yet amazing post 😭 I struggle with time management so much and you made me realize that the only thing wrong with me is not time management issues but my stupid idea of being able to ” manage ” time when I cannot even ahhhhh thankyou so so much . May Allah bless you immensely for this knowledgeable post Ameen sumameen ❤️

    Reply
  2. zahraa

    Thank you so much!!
    I really needed to read this…May Allah fill your work with barakah as well and allow us all to achieve the best in both worlds

    Reply
  3. Samra Azam

    This was much informative, SubhaanAllah! It’s changed my entire perspective towards the time جزاک اللہ خیرً

    Reply
  4. Sundus

    Jazakillahu khayran ukhtah, it helped me a lot to know about barakah. May Allah help us all gain His barakah. Ameen.

    Reply
  5. Ishrat Jahan

    Thank you sister for this beautiful article …may Allah bless you and reward you …

    Reply
  6. Maria Farooq

    JazakAllah u Khaira sister! Will try to get Barakah from maximum number of resources IA!
    Keep up the good work! 👍

    Reply

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