Ismail Kamdar – How to Stay Productive at Work during Ramadan

			Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam O Allah
Allah Medina Lila hi Lamine. We begin by praising Allah and asking Allah to send his peace and
blessings upon the final prophet Mohammed bin Abdullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and all those who
follow his way with righteousness until the last day.
		

			I'd like to welcome you all to the second session of the Ramadan retreat 2017 with the Islamic
online university, where today insha Allah, I will be presenting to you a very important topic, how
to remain productive at work during the month of Ramadan. We know that many Muslims faces dilemma
that in the month of Ramadan, we find that our fasting affects our work and we are unable to work
properly or we are overworked at work and we aren't able to do a bad job properly.
		

			So the goal of today's discussion is about finding that balance. How do we make the best of Ramadan
and still remain productive at work?
		

			Before we get into the core topic, I want to give you a very brief reminder about the mocassin the
goals and Sharia objectives of Ramadan. Now I'm sure you've heard many lectures on this topic. So
I'm not going to go into details with all of the evidences. But just very briefly, why does Ramadan
exist?
		

			Ramadan is a monthly recharge for our EMA
		

			Allah subhanho wa Taala says in the Quran, that he has made fasting in the month of Ramadan
obligatory upon us, Allah Allah Gong.
		

			Show that you may increase in your taqwa in your consciousness of Allah in your closeness to Allah
subhanho wa Taala and two verses after Allah subhanaw taala mentions that the month of Ramadan is
the month in which the Quran was revealed.
		

			So Ramadan is about increasing our taqwa through increased fasting and salah and Quranic recitation
is about connecting with the Quran to taraweeh increased recitation and understanding of the Quran.
And the combination of these two factors increasing taqwa and connecting with the Quran is that we
emerge from the month of Ramadan as better Muslims. Now, this does not mean we come out from Ramadan
as perfect people because we are not angels, we are human beings, we will never attain perfection.
But we can be better. We can utilize Ramadan to let go of one or two bad habits to introduce into
our lives one or two good habits. And to make this part of who we are. The goal is to leave Ramadan
		

			better than we entered. So this is a very brief reminder and when we understand the purpose of
Ramadan
		

			how do we fit this in with our work lives? You know, most of us do not have the luxury of taking
leave from work for the entire month of Ramadan. So how do we find balance?
		

			When people complain to me about the problems they face at work during the month of Ramadan, it's
usually one of the following four or five problems. The first and most common is fatigue or
exhaustion.
		

			That would be upset sleep schedule, lack of food and water during the daytime. increased the bother.
Many people get exhausted during the month of Ramadan, especially in the second half of the month.
And they find it very hard to concentrate on work or to do a bad
		

			link to that is of course hunger and thirst you cannot fast without experiencing hunger and thirst.
And this affects some people's productivity in the workplace. Then, a modern problem that we face is
caffeine withdrawal. Many of us myself included are accustomed to drinking coffee during the daytime
especially in the afternoon when we are feeling a bit sleepy. A cup of coffee gets us through the
afternoon work. So Ramadan afternoons tend to be a bit of a challenge. We face caffeine withdrawal,
we may feel sleepy, some people may experience headaches, because our body is not accustomed to
going through that time without that energy boost.
		

			A fifth problem that some people face is that because of all of these factors combined, they end up
with a temper problem they end up getting more angry in the month of Ramadan.
		

			So if we solve these four problems, then inshallah I'll the problem will be solved automatically.
		

			So what we're going to do in this session, we are going to look at three
		

			types.
		

			have tips that will help you to work better in the month of Ramadan, we are going to look at
productivity tips, we are going to look at health tips and we are going to look at the bottoms. But
please note that the guidelines that we are going to mention today are very general. And they may
		

			or may not apply to your specific job.
		

			I set these guidelines keeping in mind the structure of the average job eight to five working in
office.
		

			And the general situations that arise in such a job. Now you may have a very unique job situation,
you know, maybe you are working 16 hour shifts, maybe you're working at night, and maybe your work
is extremely physical, maybe you are a sports player, whatever, whatever it is, you have a unique
situation, we can discuss that in the live q&a segment. But
		

			I hope at least you are able to benefit from the general guidelines I'm about to share with you. So
let's get started with those general guidelines.
		

			First, let's take a look at some productivity tips. As you may know, productivity is one of my areas
of specialization. I am the founder of Islamic self help.com, a website dedicated to providing you
with productivity tips from an Islamic perspective. And so, I would like to present to you about
five productivity tips that if you apply them in the month of Ramadan, they will inshallah make your
work easier in the month of Ramadan.
		

			The first of these steps is to plan ahead.
		

			We have a few days left until Ramadan begins, you need to plan out how you are going to manage your
schedule in the month of Ramadan. You need to write out the schedule a complete schedule, including
your school time, your iftaar time your work times, what are you going to do during work times
keeping in mind your different energy levels at different time of the day? Your sleep times? How are
you going to get enough sleep, you need to schedule all that in you need to be planned, you can't
just have Ramadan come upon you. And you don't have a plan for what you're going to do during that
time.
		

			So take the time today to sit and make a schedule. When you're going to sleep, how much sleep you're
going to get. Is it going to be enough? Will you require a power nap? When will you have the power
nap? And we'll talk a bit more about this in the next slide. In your schedule, you know your work
hours, which times of the day? Do you have higher levels of concentration? When fasting? Or what
tasks can you put into that time of the day? Which time of the day are you a bit more exhausted,
which tasks are better to be done during that time of the day, make a schedule plan ahead. If you
plan ahead, it will make working in the month of Ramadan, so much easier for you. Part of the
		

			planning moving on to tip number two is to have for each day of Ramadan, three work tasks that are
your highest priority. So you start each day, by the way you can apply this to even outside the
month of Ramadan.
		

			You start each day by asking yourself, what are the three things that I have to get done today, that
if I do these three things, then I've had a productive day. And I've had a good day at work. Right?
So for example for today, on my top three list is this webinar, right? Doing this session with you
was on my top three tasks for today.
		

			That if I complete this and two other tasks that I have scheduled for later in the day, then I've
had a productive day. So for each day of your life, start the day by asking yourself what are the
three most important things I need to get done today. And then schedule those three things for the
time of the day when you are most productive and you have your highest level of concentration. Now
this may differ from person to person, if you are a morning person and you want to schedule those
three tasks for afternoon or if you are an afternoon person like myself, then you may want to
schedule those three tasks for the afternoon. Now just before our soul time, if you are a night owl
		

			you may want to schedule it for after taraweeh you know your your personality and body type best.
But schedule those three tasks for the time of the day, when you have your highest level of
concentration.
		

			The third task or the third tip is something
		

			which not everybody is going to be able to do. But if possible, then please do it at least try at
least ask you never know it may just be possible for you. And that is take on a lighter workload in
the month of Ramadan.
		

			How do you take on a lighter workload in the month of Ramadan? Well, it really depends on whether
you are your own boss or who you're working for and that person's attitude towards Ramadan. So I can
give you a few examples of how different organizations make the workload.
		

			have their staff easier in the month of ramadan some organizations cut down the work hours from
eight hours a day to seven hours a day in ramadan thus making things easier for their staff i myself
make sure that none of my employees have deadlines set in the month of ramadan so the deadlines are
set for a week before ramadan or a week or two after ramadan meaning their work will continue as
usual during ramadan but when no specific deadlines to get them stressed out and to overwork them
		

			so shifting the deadlines around the day before and after ramadan that can make your workload easier
if you have extra leave days piled up you know maybe taking the last 10 days of ramadan as lead so
you can apply so you can apply yourself to doing more ibadah that's another possibility speaking to
your boss about giving you a lighter workload for these days or allowing you to work from home for
these days you know these are some ways that some people handle this
		

			now many other ideas that you can think of but in general if work hours could be cut down if
deadlines could be shifted around if the tasks that you schedule for this month could be lighted in
the tasks you do outside of this month then that will give you more time for a bother that will give
you a better
		

			workload that does not want to stress you out and drain you out and it's not that you're not being
productive it's just that you're being realistic about how productive you can be in the month of
ramadan so especially if you are an employee or you are a boss of somebody else and you know the
person who is working for you is going to be fasting in the month of ramadan then you should make an
effort to make it easier for them either by cutting down their work hours or cutting down their
workload or shifting the deadlines around do what you can to make it easier for your employees to
work in the month of ramadan and allah will make it easier for you as well the fourth productivity
		

			tip related to ramadan is to pace yourself and this will go in with your scheduling pace yourself
don't do too many tasks at once too early in the day
		

			so if you're going to start your day immediately after fudger with a really extreme workout session
followed by four of your most exhausting work tasks for the day by 10am you're going to be exhausted
dehydrated and unable to do work for the rest of the day so don't overburden yourself at any point
in the day spread your work out throughout the day
		

			scheduled some tasks were early morning some for late morning some for early afternoon some for late
afternoon with breaks in between paced yourself said you can get more done and you can maintain your
energy levels throughout the day and by the way this applies outside the month of ramadan as well
that people who pace themselves are able to maintain their energy levels for longer and get more
done while people who try to just burn through their tasks early in the morning they get tired more
easily and they are unable to work properly in the afternoon so part of pacing yourself and this
takes us to productivity tip number five part of pacing yourself is to take regular mental breaks
		

			now why do i say mental breaks because in the 21st century most jobs are mental jobs right they are
jobs that require a lot of brainpower and for many of us we take physical breaks we take lunch
breaks we take coffee breaks but we don't give our mind a break we still thinking about work during
that time we are still focused on work where do we at home whether you're playing a game whether
you're drinking your coffee whether you're having your lunch and sadly even while we are praying our
minds are still busy with work
		

			now just like your body needs a break your mind also needs a break so one of the ways to maintain
your energy levels throughout the day is to take a regular mental break that every one hour you work
for 50 to 55 minutes and you take a five to 10 minute mental break where you do nothing you take a
walk you sit back and close your eyes you make zeker
		

			you do something completely unrelated to your work for five minutes
		

			think of it as rebooting opening
		

			so that he does not get overburdened and overtired if you get into the habit of having regular
mental breaks you will notice that you will have stronger energy levels throughout the workday both
in and out of ramadan
		

			so these are my five productivity tips to help you get through the workday in ramadan make your
schedule before ramadan begins everyday focus on your three priority tasks take on a lighter
workload if possible pay
		

			yourself and make sure that you're giving your mind a break at least once every one or two hours.
		

			Now, productivity is not just related to how you work, but also how you take care of yourself. And
that takes us to our second set of tips, which are
		

			the health tips, right? That productivity is also related to how healthy we are in the month of
Ramadan.
		

			Now health can be divided into four areas. And all four areas affect our productivity at work. There
is our food and drink, how much we eat and what we eat, that affects our health and our energy
levels. There is our exercise or physical activity, how much of it we do that affects our health and
our productivity at work. Number three, which we spoke about the previous slide our mental health,
resting the brain, working the brain giving the brain a break, that also affects our productivity
level. But there's a fourth area of health which many people ignore, and that is sleep, making sure
your body has enough sleep to be recharged and re energized for the next day.
		

			Too much leap and you will be fatigued, too little sleep and you will be groggy, you need to work
out how much sleep your body needs, and make sure you are getting enough sleep every day. For the
average person, it's six to eight hours. Right some people need less, some people need more, but the
average person needs six to eight hours of sleep every day to maintain productivity.
		

			So I want to focus on two out of these four areas I want to focus on health tips and sleep tips.
		

			As far as exercise is concerned, you know your body best you know which time of the day is best for
you to exercise. So all I would advise you to do is to make sure you remain physically put in the
month of Ramadan. And in a way that does not make you dehydrated while fasting. Right. So just
		

			be intelligent about the time of the day and the type of physical activity you do in the month of
Ramadan. As far as mental health is concerned, we've already discussed that in the previous slide.
So now our focus is on food and sleep.
		

			So what can we say about food.
		

			We know in Ramadan, we have two problems when it comes to food. The first is that we overeat. The
second is that we eat very unhealthy food. And when you combine those two things, we end up with a
lack of energy and we end up
		

			getting more sick in the month of Ramadan.
		

			So especially for sure you want to eat a healthy breakfast before you start fasting.
		

			If your breakfast is made up of coffee or tea without any water separately, then you will experience
the hydration early in the day. If you are having coffee or tea at whole time, make sure you have
enough water as well to balance it out. Because those drinks dehydrators so you need water to
balance it out.
		

			If you are having sugary food for sugar,
		

			then
		

			you will experience a peak in energy for an hour or two followed by a crash for the rest of the day.
So avoid sugary snacks so whole time.
		

			If you are eating oily food for school, you will experience an upset tummy and that of course will
affect your productivity. So what should you do about sugar? Well, firstly, Don't drink too much
water extra whole time.
		

			Rather spread out the amount of water you drink throughout the night. From if Tata metals to whole
time spread out the water that you drink that will help you to retain it throughout the day. Number
two, eat something healthy. fruit, vegetables, milk, cereal, something healthy, something that gives
you long term energy. In fact, just a shoehorn of dates in water is better for you in terms of
health and energy, then a shoe made up of oily food and sugars. So if you have a healthy sugar that
will help you to maintain your energy levels throughout the day.
		

			The second how to relate to Ramadan is to avoid oily food. Now I know in many cultures including my
own, our star is made up of oily foods. And for me to tell you to avoid it completely is
unrealistic. It's not going to happen. So instead, I'm not going to tell you to avoid it completely.
Rather,
		

			limit how much of it you eat right. Don't eat the entire
		

			Three or four dozen, some users have one or two.
		

			Right and then make sure the rest of your food is healthy.
		

			And especially, you know, if you're having oily food for iftaar, and you limit yourself to one or
two, that's fine, but don't have it for sure, right don't have this oily stuff at Soho time. Because
what you eat a whole time is going to affect your energy levels throughout the workday. So you
cannot afford to be eating oily food at a time because it's going to negatively affect you
throughout the day. So those are my two tubs related to food, have a healthy suhoor and cut down on
the oily food
		

			when it comes to sleep, which is a very important thing, because in Ramadan, our sleep schedule is
completely changed. Right? Especially in those countries where you're experiencing summer in the
month of Ramadan. You're may not have enough time to sleep at night, and I empathize with you. I
mean, our country, we have more than enough time, our fasts are from 5am to 5pm. Right, so we have
more than enough time to sleep. But for those of you all in some countries, I know it's going to be
difficult. So you need to adjust your sleep schedule to make sure you are getting enough sleep and
the right type of sleep to be energized throughout the day.
		

			And if the nights are so short that you are unable to do that, then you need to put in power naps
throughout the day to make up for it. What is a power nap? A power nap can be a 10 minutes or 20
minutes, or one and a half hour nap that re energizes your body. You could have it after her. You
could have it after fudger you could have it after a sir depending on your work hours. But if you
are not getting enough sleep at night at night, you need to throw in a power nap at some point in
the day to make up for it. So the first thing you want to do is adjust your sleep schedule. Make
sure you are still getting your six to eight hours sleep every day.
		

			Even if it means sleeping, getting used to sleeping at a different time and waking up at a different
time or breaking it up. You're having three hours sleep and then having three hours sleep again
later. And if you are unable to get enough sleep and you find yourself getting groggy, then start
scheduling in power naps. The power nap will go a long way to recharging your productivity for the
day.
		

			So those are my health tips related to the month of Ramadan.
		

			The final set of tips before we conclude this presentation
		

			ibadah tips
		

			we know Ramadan is all about ibadah and many of us feel guilty that we spend the month of Ramadan
working and providing for our families and we aren't able to do as much a bother as we generally
would like to do.
		

			But they are a bother that we can do while working right fasting is a bother. So if you are fasting
while working you are still being rewarded for that fast, you can make xycam you can make a stick
word you can send the root upon the Prophet slowly yourself you can do all of that while working
without it affecting your work at all you can make do our while working. So do and other forms of
verbal ibadah or ibadah of the heart like patience and good character and humility. All of that can
be done while walking.
		

			And we know that you are in the month of Ramadan are accepted. So why not start the month with a dua
asking Allah to make fasting in the month of Ramadan easy for you and making your work easy for you.
		

			Another way to increase your ibadah in the month of Ramadan is to make your work itself into a bada
how
		

			understand that earning a halaal income to provide for your family and to give you enough money to
be able to assist others as well. All of this is a bada when it is done for the sake of Allah.
		

			So you can make your work into a bar by having the right intention.
		

			So remember that working while fasting is a bar that if done with the correct intentions, that you
are fasting for the sake of Allah and you are working to earn the halal income and provide for your
family for the sake of Allah. At the same time you are practicing Islamic character and Islamic
manners for the sake of Allah. All of that is a bother in the month of Ramadan.
		

			So do not feel guilty to be working in the month of Ramadan. No you are engaged in a bar that is
just a different type of a bother.
		

			So the key is especially if you work long hours in the month of Ramadan is to focus on quality
ibadah instead of quantity bother. Focus on tarawih word concentration and horseshoe rather than
praying a lot of the raw and not understanding a word of it and daydreaming focus on fasting that is
productive and that helps
		

			to become a better muslim instead of fasting just for the sake of getting over with it focus on
reciting a bit of quran understanding it and applying it to your life instead of read reciting a lot
of koran and not understanding a word of it focus on practicing islamic manners and ink and bring
into your heart islamic character reforming your heart getting rid of jealousy and and arrogance and
all these other bad qualities from your heart the internal ibadah
		

			focus on the quality of your ibadah and a lot of this can be done while working god at work is where
we get the opportunities to practice humility to practice patience to practice modesty all of this
we have the opportunity to practice these forms of internal ibadah while at work
		

			as we do all of this our work becomes ibadah and we will be rewarded for it inshallah as doing
things for the sake of allah during the month of ramadan
		

			so to summarize this presentation
		

			prepare ahead of time for the month of ramadan and how you're going to manage your work and sleep
and eating schedule in the month of ramadan paste yourself spread your workout throughout the day so
that you do not get too exhausted make dua to allah to make it easy for you and take each day as it
comes setting your three tasks for the day making sure you get enough sleep if you do not get enough
sleep putting in a power nap doing whatever it takes to make sure each state remains productive and
each day remains a source of reward for you by making sure whatever you do do it for the sake of
allah word that we come to the end of this presentation joseph allah hayden who after the webinar
		

			and hamdulillahi rabbil alameen wa salam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh