Some things that have helped me manage my time

I am a homeschooling mom of three, working full time as a software engineer. I am a student of Quran and Arabic, I teach Arabic, and have a hundred other projects going on!

So the question I get asked most often is how do I find time for everything.

The honest answer is I don’t know 😀

First and foremost, It is Allah’s help and blessing upon me which allow me to do whatever I do.

Secondly over the years I have learnt a few things. I am sharing them here with the hope that you may find some inspiration from them.

Here goes!

1. Recognize the value of time.

Unfortunately a lot of people have fallen into the trap of killing and wasting time because they don’t realize what a precious commodity time is.

Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم tells us that “There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time.” (Bukhari)

Once we recognize time as our most important asset we are less prone to wasting it.

2. Early mornings

Allah has kept barakah in the early hours of the day. Even if we work for the same number of hours starting later in the day and ending later, we will never be as productive as when we start our day early.

3. Spending time with Quran

It may feel counter intuitive to set aside time for Quran when our days are already so full. But trust me on this, setting aside time for Quran (reciting, learning, understanding, pondering) brings so much barakah not only in our life but also our time.

With younger kids I wasn’t able to designate a fixed time for Quran, after Fajr for example, but I designated a portion of my time (one hour, two hour etc.) and I made sure that I was catching up on my designated amount throughout the day (or night).

4. Staying away from distractions

So much time is wasted in futile distractions, be it TV, social media, gossip, shopping, or idle talk. Recognize the distractions in your life and try to eliminate them one by one.

5. Recognize the power of small chunks of time

We don’t realize how much can be achieved with 10-15 minutes of focused work. In 15 minutes we can memorize a few lines of Quran, clean a corner of the house, get supper going, play a quick game with our kids.

So don’t let small chunks of time slip by while you wait for big chunks opening up. Use them in getting stuff done.

6. Plan your days and weeks

Keep room for unexpected things, especially with young kids. But have a general plan for the day and week.

With unschooling I don’t have lesson plans or learning goals to plan. But I plan stuff like chores, household work, outdoor activities, meet ups, any classes my kids are taking, and so on.

Plan your day around salaah times for a more productive day.

7. Menu planning and meal prep in advance

It can help a lot too. Simple things like thawing the meat in advance speeds up my workflow greatly.

8. Embrace a simpler life

Less stuff means less cleaning. Simple meals mean less time preparing them. I spend a lot of time in kitchen but most of that time goes in making things from scratch rather than cooking lavish meals.

9. Prioritize

Even with the best time management skills we can’t do everything. So we have to prioritize. Prioritize your Deen, your kids, your family. Drop the rest if you have to.

10. Let go of perfectionism

In the past I have wasted time in trying to be perfect or waiting for perfect circumstances. Slowly I learnt that not being perfect is okay.

When I let go of my perfectionism I found that waiting for that perfect moment was actually my way of procrastination. For example, I have wanted to put together some tips on time management for such a long time, but again it was my perfectionism that stopped me (I will write when I have lots of time, I will first plan what to write etc.) In the end I just started typing things that came to my mind on my phone between doing stuff. And before I knew it was done! 😀

So what will you add to the list?