Ramadan Prep Guide for Busy People | Part 4: Clearing the Decks

So far, we've talked about preparing for Ramadan using the Sunnah of the Prophet  to get ourselves warmed up and ready to go for an all out 'ibadah assault in a few days.  We've also talked about planning and calendaring.  Could there possibly be anything else left to organize, prioritize, or calendarize?

Finish Up Last Minute Projects

We've spent a lot of time on our planners during this series – I hope you're making use of one outside of Ramadan.  Look at your non-critical projects and complete them to the furthest extent possible and close them until 'Īd.  If you're working out, it's time to go into maintenance mode and put your focus on 'ibadah.  If you can do more without compromising your 'ibadah, then go for it but remember 'ibadah is the ultimate goal this month.  Clean out your non-critical commitments and be focused.

Ramadan Prep Guide for Busy People | Part 3: Keeping on Track for 30 Days

The Secret Sauce of Successful People

Ramadan is known for its ups and downs.  Moonfighting arguments reach a fever pitch the days before Ramadan (magnified nowadays by social media), then drops like a rock once the fast begins.  Motivation for 'ibadah also peaks in the first few days like runners taking off at the beginning of a marathon, only to spiral downwards towards the middle, and only pick back up again in the last 10 days before the 27th night.

Rather than jumping up and down, we want consistent spirituality.  When the moonfighting starts, we consciously put shaytaan and our nafs on “unfollow” and we stop retweeting that spiritual muck.  We are calm before, during, and after Ramadan.  The same is true of our worship during.  It will increase, as it must, and it is consistent throughout as much as possible for all 30 days.  When it goes down post-Ramadan, it's a gentle drop rather than a frenetic effort to chuck all spirituality out the door post-''

Ramadan Prep Guide for Busy People | Part 2: Planning and Hitting Ambitious Goals Easily

It's great to have ambitious goals for Ramadan, but in order to achieve those goals, one must be able to deal with the challenges of Ramadan which include decreasing energy levels (from a combination of lack of food and sleep), decreasing enthusiasm in the middle of the month, and maintaining the rest of your commitments (work, school, kids, etc) while increasing the time commitment of your worship; and since you don't live in a vacuum, you have to reconcile your schedule with others who may depend on you for supporting them in their goals and vice versa.

Ramadan Prep Guide for Busy People| Part 1: Training Season

I'm all for uplifting messages that inspire us to put forth our best effort in worshiping Allāh  during Ramadan.  However, in lands where people do not have the luxury of time and sleep post-suhoor, getting maximum benefit out of Ramadan requires a bit of doing before entering into the month full force.  With this in mind, the following is a series of posts covering:

Part 1 – Training Season:  The month of Ramadan can be as physical as it is spiritual, and the body needs time to adjust.  How can we “train” ourselves for the physicality of it beforehand?  What practices can we take from the Sunnah of the Prophet  to help us?