Beware of Procrastination

Although we live in a shutdown rajim Bismillah R Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala Ashraf and more descending Sydenham Hammond Ernie or savage Marine, my beloved brothers and sisters Salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen always we will begin with the praise thanks of Allah Now sure to alert you know he'll Allah we testify that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah subhanaw taala and we send our love and our greetings salutations. So beloved Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to his pious and his pure family, whose companions and all those who are following suit until the end of time, may Allah subhanaw taala, bless us to be amongst them. Meanwhile, hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah, it's about probably the last month or so before the year kind of ends, everyone looks forward to the 15th of December. That's almost like the cutoff. And November is like that last

lap in the marathon. I don't know much about marathons. But it's, it's like the last hurdle. Now that I know, I tried hurdles, either. But that is where everyone gets to November. And we just want to get through this month towards December. It's also very difficult month, we papers that were supposed to be done during the year become do exams for our kids. And you know, when our kids go through exam, they'll house goes through exams, deadlines and budgets for the financial everything sort of November is where you have to catch up and do a lot of work. So that you can get to December. And when you speak to I have conversations with people, how are you? Where are you at,

like, I just want to get to December, I just want to get through this last, this last hurdle. And one of the things that stops us and a lot of this is most of you are working people, but also for our kids that are going through exams. It's about getting in and starting that last climb, if the year was a hike, the last climb we're at the last point is to get that energy, get that strength to make that last Summit. And what holds us back is usually this monkey on our back called procrastination. How do we start how do we get going? How do we push ourselves across the line there's a saying amongst the Salaf amongst the price predecessors at the sweet formula shaytaan this

we've sofa, I will I will sofa Nachi. So for me, I will I will get the I will make salah I will make that up, I will give charity, I will get the deadline done min ash shaytaan. That's a whisper from Shaytaan. He's telling you don't worry about it. watch another episode, you will do it. Later, we'll get the the deadline is coming. That is a whisper from Shaytaan. And the seller would say beware of procrastination because it is one of shaytaan strongest weapons. One of its strongest weapons for some shaytaan misleads through desire through, you know entertainment and enjoyment. Whereas, you know, some people who have a good and a good head on their shoulders, they know what they should do

what they shouldn't do. They they know they get it, they're gonna get the they see the the path in front of them. shaytaan for this person who uses this with you will do it. Don't worry, just wait. Tomorrow, we'll come take today off yadda yadda, long week, take another day off, take another day off. And before you know it, your time is up. And that is what your time is either up for studying for the exams, your time is either up in terms of some deadline, your time is even up you're on your you're in your cupboard, you never got to where you wanted to be, you always knew you wanted to get there, you always wanted to be that person, but through procrastinating shaytaan cause you to waste

your time and procrastination.

One of the difference between we'll talk a little bit about outright laziness, sometimes laziness, the sweet side of laziness and procrastination. Procrastination leaves the person with a lot of regret. The person who procrastinates he knows what he wants to do. He has the will the desire, but he sits the end he does doesn't get much done. And he fills himself with regret. I was reading

what nurses and doctors said what people would do on the last, you know on their deathbed the day before they passed away. And the conversations they would have most people they regret the things they never did that they should have done.

Most the biggest regrets people have, I should have, I should have done these things that I knew I was supposed to do. The procrastination that stopped you from living, the best version of yourself will be the biggest regrets of your life at the end of the day. That's what we're going to integrate.

Recent studies have shown that people that regret more the things that they haven't done the things that they have done. And in addition, feelings of regret and guilt resulting from missed opportunities seem to stay with you much longer doing something, trying something getting it wrong and then fixing the mistake feels bad. It but it feels a whole lot better than an opportunity when you just let go and muscle without even taking your shot without even attempting it. That is going to always stay with you. And there is this negative cycle about procrastination. You delay

And as time gets on, it gets worse and worse and you feel more helpless. And eventually, you're just in the spiral of not getting anything done. So why do people procrastinate while watching some videos? And why are they some of us, we get a deadline, we've got a month. And we know if we just do five or 10 minutes a day, we will get the easily. But then we ended up the last two, three the last day before the time, and then we have to cram like 10 hours and get it done. Why? Why do we do this?

The different types of psychologies, yeah, different types of people, we get the genuine slacker, the person who lacks the willpower, you know, they lack the self motivation to get up and do it. They don't have that vision. I want to do something better. So they leave a slacker. There's the person who wants to do something. But he's, he's always analyzing. Should I go with a should i? So how do I start this paper? How do I start? Which which chapter he looks at the book, I need to study 10 chapters? Do I start with Chapter One, two, and three. And he spends the whole week thinking about where do I start? And he's analyzing but he's analysis paralysis, he never actually gets

moving. You just sit the thinking and thinking, this is the perfectionist similar to the analysis paralysis. You're so scared of getting something wrong. You're so scared of not doing it right that you end up doing nothing. You get the guy who starts but every five minutes he's distracted every five minutes. And he's take a break now. I need to check a new YouTube video I need to look at with someone message me on Facebook. You do multiple things. Okay, you start with Matthew five minutes. But okay, maybe shouldn't biology and you end up not really finishing anything. Because you don't have that ability to sit down and really craft. And of course there is this concept of poor time

management. And it's in son, while also in an internal, who said, Allah says by time you're all losing, we always have this false sense of security, I have enough time. I have enough time to study, I have enough time to fix my relationships. I have enough time to fix my relationship with Allah, I have enough time to memorize the Quran, whatever it is that you had those goals. And we don't realize we are constantly losing.

Some might say, well, what's the difference between classes, procrastination, fatigue, because I know a lot of people are very tired. You had a rough long year, I'm just tired, I need a break, and laziness, and just pure laziness. And procrastination. If you were to say, procrastinate, a guy who procrastinates is that they know what they need to do. They want to do it, they really genuinely have this desire, there's some there's a voice in their head, I want to pass the exam, I want to lose that weight, I want to do X, Y, and Z, and you have that fire in your belly to do it. But for no good reason. You can't seem to stop that's procrastination. Fatigue is I want to do it, I have

the fire. But my body just won't allow, you know, I'm physically or mentally not capable of doing it. And we all get fatigued and tired. And then you could laziness way. I don't have that fire to do it at all. I don't want to study. I don't feel bad if I don't study. And that's the big difference between laziness there. Those guys who don't study, and the deadline comes and you didn't study don't feel bad, and they're having a very good time. That's laziness, lack of willpower, blissfully ignorant. Whereas people who are ambitious, they have well, and they don't do it. All they do is they know and they realize they're wasting their time. This is deep sense of regret. And so I'm

talking to this group of people where procrastination is one of the tools shaytan uses high functioning people, highly motivated people, just wasting time for no good reason. And Allah reminds us in the Quran, were unsolicited in Sani Illamasqua Allah says this is a rule with Him. As for you insane, you will not get anything except for that which you have striven for what you worked hard for. It's also the fairness of Allah, that if you work for something, you will get it. But if you don't work for something, either he gives it to you, but most likely you're not going to get it. If you really want to pass the exam and you work hard, you will get the you didn't want to achieve a

high level of Taqwa. If you put the effort in Allah subhanaw taala will bless you with it. And Salah reminds you and the word sa has this, this this concept of difficulty, hard work, you have to put in the effort you have to put in the you know the hours to do it. Before we jump to how to stop procrastinating. There are many people and as I told you, I can see the nodding their heads. They've been there done. There's a lot of procrastination procrastinators here.

Some of the most successful people are procrastinators, because this is how the system works. They wake up, I want to achieve I want to you know, finish my studies I want to become hospital grant I want to lose 10 kilos. So the vision is the the world is the the drive is already. You are someone with vision. You have a sincere intention. And you have in the driving seat, a rational guy that he's telling you which way to go. But then you've got this monkey on the side that tells you let's do it tomorrow. Let's watch another YouTube video and he distracts you. Now what happens with with procrastinators that have a deadline

If you have a deadline, as it gets closer, panic kicks in. And eventually, the day before the time or the week before the time you try to cram and and you know, you don't do the best job but you survive. Now that system works for other people. But it only works for things with a deadline. If you have a life goal, like I'd like to become hospital Quran one day, there's no deadline to that, you will never get to it. With that system. I'd like to be fit one day, I'd like to fix on my relationships with my family with Allah, who's watching the deadline, there is no deadline. And so the panic never kicks in, and your life gets wasted like that. Many of us if we didn't have

deadlines at work or school, this system would mean we would actually do nothing at work, we would achieve nothing. We just go from time to time, with projects on the back burner that never gets, never gets resolved. And so I know because I'm one of those people, I only wake up when a I've got a whole lot of to do lists, only the ones that are due today and are burning are the ones that are going to get to. And that's because that's when someone calls you and says You promised me we're going to do this. It's due now. Now it becomes urgent. So what's very dangerous about procrastinating on the big life decisions, the big life objectives, the big vision of your life,

usually those things don't have goals did I mean they don't have deadlines stuck attached to them, or you don't impose your own deadlines, you will never get to it, you'll never finish that qualification you wanted to do. And so that is the dangerous mindset of the procrastinator, who's worked for him in his career. But it holds you back in luck more. Obviously, as I said, this is for the person who has that ambition and will for the person who has no ambition or well that's laziness. That's a completely different conversation that we need to have. So how do I move forward? We I have a vision, I want to do something I want to achieve it. But I'm being held back for no good

reason. So what are the steps and we find this in the Sunnah, we find this in the style of going to be Salam than a Vsauce, Allah Subhan Allah, the most productive human being that ever lived. And if you look at his, the way he he managed his life, he managed his time, how he could achieve so much success with so little resources was about being highly motivated. And what he gave to the Sahaba, you find the Sahaba, extremely highly motivated, they truly understood the value of time, that every moment, I can do something amazing in the world, every moment is an opportunity to get to Jannah. Whereas now for us, we can go hours and hours and hours until Netflix Oscar is still alive, right?

And we just keep watching this panel. So how do we stop procrastinating? It always begins with a near having that vision. And that Subhanallah is what separates a lot of people from the Dewar's, the people that achieved success is having that ambition in yourself, I want to have more for my life. I want more for myself. Having that self internal conversation, what do I want to achieve next year, next month? 10 years? Am I happy where I am? If you just contented where you are, that's a problem. There's no no room for self improvement. That's a problem. But for most of your Hamdulillah you have a list of things I'd like to achieve this one day, having that near and being motivated.

And that's where it begins at 11am, Albania Alhamdulillah. In the dunya Yes, Allah only gives you for what you have put effort in. But we're hoping that after Allah will also reward us for our needs for the dreams that we never took one step but it was in our hearts the other one day, one day in sha Allah Allah, maybe I'll memorize the Quran one day, I'll become you know, for your sake, never got the but that knee I just that voice that conversation you had, Allah will gift it to you on the fKM only make dua for like Allah Spandana. But in this dunya you begin with that sincere near? What do I want to achieve? And many times it's good to put that down on a paper or put a deadline? Have

you put a deadline on that yourself? Yes, sometimes your boss, or your teachers or your wife will put the deadline for you. But if it's a self deadline, put it down on a calendar, say Inshallah, by

next year, this time, I'm going to be 10 kilos less. Next year, this time, I'm going to finish my metric for this, I'm gonna have my driver's like whatever it is, you put that deadline, you put that near and you put a deadline to it. Now it's about really about how to have a plan of action, what are the steps that I'm going to need to get the and it's important to create a to do list to actually write it down in steps. And so for our

kids who are youth are about to study, you look at the mountain. I've got three weeks to cover these five subjects. I have my deadlines when my exams are, it's really about putting down little bits to just put it down on a piece of paper and identity a shopping list of the things I need to do. That's why hamdullah our ladies, our sisters are a lot more active and doers because they do this all the time. they structure their day. They have lists this way everything to do lists and Alhamdulillah they Panic Monster

That's there's a deadline for everything. That's why they get things done. Men and Hamdulillah we we span one of our problems is we procrastinate a little bit more than our sisters. And

it is to break those deadlines into smaller deadlines and to just start hanging out, everyone will tell you what's holding you back. Why don't you want to? Why are you not writing or learning or jamming whatever it is, you're always when do I start, just start, get someone to help you to start. The hardest part is to just put your foot to get you that first step forward to dip your toe in the pool. And once you do, what Alhamdulillah it becomes easier. There is the way we've been built. Allah has built us in a very special way that you can spend hours and hours doing nothing and you'll feel bad about it afterwards. Whereas you can be very busy through the day, cleaning your cupboard

making up your bed, clean whatever it is, and you'll feel very good afterwards. Because we are built to achieve goals Allah Subhana Allah Bolte, you believe it or not, that when you achieve a goal, your brain rewards you. So you will feel good. Once you start winning, once you start doing things once you once you finish the first chapter, you will feel a lot better when you do the second one and the third one and hamdullah. That's the way that's that cycle of pushing out productivity. That's what you'll find very productive people are also the happiest people. And sometimes the people doing nothing are the most miserable people, the people who have the most work and are so

busy and have so many schedules, so many things on the schedules. They're also the happiest people because they are being productive. So just start and have small, achievable tasks. We know that very, very famous Hadith with an evisa Salam when encourage the Sahaba to do things. The deeds Allah loves the most are the ones that are few small but consistent. Don't try to memorize the Quran, just focus on reciting off a page every day. Don't try to do a thought you know the whole night intelligent, just do one extra car just wake up five minutes before the Adana Fajr. And that your dad you start with that. And when you do that, you will feel so good starting, then you will build

on more and more and more.

We sometimes get lost in the mountain and forget to the forest and forget the tree. And then he's always focused on do the small thing that is in your control and take the first step ahead of you. That's all you need to do small, achievable tasks. And then don't take too many breaks or get distracted. This is specifically when we're out our youngsters are studying.

They you know, you need to have a session, you know, I can't be studying for five minutes at a time, you need to do a half an hour now we'll take a break. Unfortunately, the agent we live in, we know that this is something which is is affecting humanity is instant gratification. Everything is instant click of a button, you can Uber click of a button you can buy something click of a button, you can go anywhere in the world, you can see anything, talk to anyone. So waiting. We don't have patients to wait anymore.

I mean how people get I mean how people get annoyed now in traffic or for an advert our patience tolerance is gone. Because we live in an instant gratification world. Now some things can only be acquired with time and patience, things like studying things like learning studying fitness relationships, you must have patients you must sit down and have a conversation with your wife and listen to her for half an hour. You can't you can't put her on times to like YouTube can't do that. Now Subhanallah there's no shortcuts in these things. And I know our brains and I feel sorry for our kids. Because I know many of us here we grew up in a time, maybe we things were a little slower.

They're growing up where everything is instant. And so to reprogram up, so you need to sit a halt often hours. And I've been told so many times, you will lecture cannot be more than seven minutes.

I'm not here, they are not there yet. I started at 45 minutes. We're now down to like 25 minutes. So halfway there. But I mean, seven minutes is all people have attention spans. How can you achieve anything in seven minutes? I'm going to tell you why. Look, I've got seven minutes to for us to have a conversation, right? That's the attention span. That's what you tell the mom and the teacher. Look seven minutes is all I have for you now then I need to move on something else. To achieve things you need to have dedicated time. But again, start small, start small and you'll build up again, avoid distractions. Try not to multitask, especially if your man we were not built to multitask focus on

one thing and do it properly. It's very important to surround yourself with productive people. Sometimes you're just waiting for the next person to motivate you. But they're waiting for you to motivate them. And so you have this group of procrastinators that together the comfort Well, if they're not panicking, I don't need to panic either. And so together we have this if the ship is sinking and we're waiting for the first person to sound the alarm, but when you surround yourself with people, we're talking about deadlines, and maybe they're not the nicest people to hang out with, but exam time they're the best people because then they're going to put you in panic mode and

you will make sure okay, I need to get done I need to get done.

And if you repeat the

regularly it becomes a habit. And that is the beauty of there'll be so long the Sunnah is repetitive, that you in the cycle of success. You woke up the same time, slip the same time, you could plan his day out, and it becomes a habit and so you in this productive cycle and your life then becomes productive to end off, we all know that no matter how much planning, thinking, strategizing, at the end of the day, as procrastination comes from Allah motivation campus concentrate on procrastination for shaytaan motivation is from Allah and then at least some gave us guidance for spiritual strength, to kickstart you to give you that boost. And I saw the Red Bull

gives you wings to gives you wings, that this is your spiritual boost than me so Salam would make dua now look at look at this dua, or other than a B Salam reminds us that in the morning

shaytaan before we were before we wake up with 5g, we know that shaytaan puts knots on us spiritually he locks us up in a way to be in a deep slumber. And he sort of motivated or he sort of keeps you relaxed and he doesn't want you to use Python doesn't want you to do anything productive anything good. So if we can keep you sleeping Alhamdulillah for him that's that's that's a win. If you're not committing Zina while keep him sleeping, then he's not doing any good. So Shaitan puts a lot of emphasis to keep you asleep. And so then there is any whispers in your ear. The night is long.

It's a long time, don't worry, the alarm, snooze, five minutes snooze, snooze, snooze it keep going. That's shaytaan and you keep sleeping. And you of course can miss your Salah. So many people smiling. Yeah, we all know that. Right? There'll be some linseeds but if you force yourself and you wake up and you make a DUA, the first not shackle the cheetah and puts on you disappears and then when you make wudu you feel a lot better. The second shackled chain that chicken has on you is gone. And the third one performing Fajr Salah and in his work in his time, not after sunrise Mandelbrot forgive all of us.

That last shutdowns are not and automatically What does Allah give you? He didn't only give you the reward for that. But now then everyone says is everybody when he does these three things and the knots are unfasten. After that you will be energetic and happy in the morning. Otherwise you would get up listless and grouchy. So when your coworker comes grumpy, so you didn't make fun dinner,

but for Angela, this is energetic, and full of full of

readiness, not for Salah not to make a hard time now to go out and earn your risk to go out and finish the chapter. Allah has not you have started with Allah. and Now Allah is gonna put Baraka in your time in your day, you're gonna get those gains in the gym, you're gonna get whatever it is Subhan Allah by performing your budget on time. And the Subhanallah it shows you you know, there's a book called The 4am Club. Now these these self help books are what the CEOs and the most successful people, many of them, they start the day at budget time, and is the reason why they never use them. That's when he started in fact, he started a little before budget, and that's what gives you the

energy and the strength to be successful. And then and then we end up with this too. Ah, I do all that we should all recite type the most successful, productive, motivated man on earth made this to our daily who should make this multiple times a day Allahumma inni Oh Allah I seek Your protection Middleham me well Hassani from from Allah I make do ask you to protect me from sorrow and grief and anxiety. Well, we'll do bigger mean larger see when Casserly and I make dua Allah protect me from being lazy, and from being weak, being fatigued, and useless Why would become minute Germany while Berkeley and I make make dua to Allah protect me from being from cowardice and from being stingy and

miserly are also becoming a calamity Dane. Oh Allah protect me from being overwhelmed by debt, what got him to jail and to be overpowered by some people to be in a difficult situation. So when you do these things, Allah subhanaw taala look at all the things from sadness, grief, misery, regret, from laziness, procrastination, from being harmed, all these things that we submit to others for the everyday and so inculcate these to us and may Allah bless you and Allah grant us a good evening to the year Allah grant is all the success mean just one announcement tomorrow at 2pm at our nursery school, but I know house they will be free diabetes screening so anyone who's worried about the

seeker going this yourself inshallah and it will be for free Vietnam Hola, gracias, all Shiva. I mean, also Allah said I'm hammered on a surface I'm gonna send in Nairobi, let me sit I want to get