Part I

( its snowing tonight...so nice. )

Time management, courage to face a challenge, commitment, wisdom, patience. These aren't just random lists of good things to do. Rather, they are crucial things one needs to be familiar with in terms of practice. Among a thousand more things we need to know and do, there are few things we prioritize. I will, insha'allah, in the next few weeks, post short but helpful tips and wisdom from the Sunnah as well as the Qur'an that are more than easy to integrate in our daily lives. I will also be referring to the Encyclopedia for Women's health and Natural healing. Not only do they help one become a better Muslimah, but also a better mother, wife, sister, daughter etc. For the brothers out there, you can still make use of these tips...but I would dedicate the posts for sisters.

Poor time management is one big issue that one is bound to face. Not only is it disruptive of routines and of given projects, but also of health and relationships. Good time management doesn't just fall into place nor are some people 'just' good at it, rather it comes with practice and good resolve. Of all things Allah swears by in the Qur'an, time is one that has a recurrent theme. The Beloved of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon him has also shown in practice the best way to utilize one's time. His time was divided into different categories, such as that for himself, his family, the community and of course worship. He further said to make use of what time we have before we get preoccupied with life. And no body but a mother would understand this. Perhaps we would all to some degree understand it, but not like a mother does-between caring for her young, overlooking the house, and attending to all else. So how is it that one can have blessing in their time and utilize it in the best of ways?

Here is where prioritizing comes in. Asking oneself, what is the most important thing to be taken care of first? What would one's goal be in a day, a week, a month, a year? We see from the Sira of Rasullulah Sallalahu Aleyhi Wa salaam, that his day was planned around the five daily prayers, as a framework and the rest of the activities throughout. And the same was true for a week, a month and a year. (We'll come back to his routines in the next post, God willing.)

But prioritizing isn't good enough. How many 'to do lists' have you made in the past, only to find out that the list keeps growing and the thought of it all just leaves you discourages before the break of the day?! That is why one ought to sprinkle a dash of commitment/passion to it. This is very important. Why? Because we all need a dose of motivation to keep us engaged and going. Without motivation it is likely not much would be accomplished. There are a number of ways to have yourself ready and motivated. Here I can only give lists of things, but you should know yourself enough to judge what keeps your spirits high.

Before I conclude my post for the day (partly b/c we wouldn't want this to turn into a long rant) make sure to poke your nose outside and take a deep breath from this crisp, awesome of a weather.

Peace & Blessings.

H_