With Ramadan just around the corner, a question always arises as to how we can maintain our productivity during Ramadan. ProductiveMuslim.com is suggesting a 2 fold answer:

1. Time Management 
   
2. Healthy Diet.

1.Time-Management

It's funny how our day to day plans go haywire once Ramadan starts; we can't do much during the day because we're hungry or have spent the previous night in the shopping malls or with friends for one of those "Ramadan nights". So we promise ourselves that we'll work in the evening. 

Evening comes, and we overkill it at iftar, that we can't move for at least 2 hours, and thanks to our "well-targeted" media, our 2 hour lay in is encouraged with the 20 must-see Ramadan series on TV. Before we know it,  we got to rush to the mosque, and after an hour or so of some spiritual food (or so we hope), some of us want to go shopping for next day's iftar (or for Eid even). The comes suhoor time and we have to sleep, ready for work fajr in the morning. And no work is done.

Sound familiar?

I know people who have a phobia against Ramadan, saying that during Ramadan they can't do anything! And I'm amazed at how far from the Sunnah we've drifted and ended up in such a mess.

Brothers and sisters, it's time for change. We've wasted enough Ramadans repeating the above scenario on a daily basis, and it must stop. With only a few days to Ramadan, let us draw a schedule that will maintain our productivity and keep us up to speed with our day to day work.

• Firstly, do all your Ramadan & Eid shopping BEFORE Ramadan starts, that's right, don't do it during ramadan, do it before Ramadan. Yes, I know how tempting those Ramadan Sales are, but for the sake of sanity and maintaining the Ramadan spirit, finish up all your shopping for Ramadan and Eid before Ramadan starts.
• Plan your iftars well in advance, know what you'll cook on each day and follow the health diet suggested below for a healthy and delicious Ramadan iftar experience.   
• Have suhoor before Fajr, NOT at mid-night. This will help you maintain your productivity levels throughout your working day, instead of your body craving for food by mid-afternoon.  
• Start working after fajr, remember the post about waking up for fajr and boosting productivity,  and remember how we said that Prophet Muhammad made dua that Allah blesses this Ummah in the early hours. So grasp these early hours, especially that you'll be energized with suhoor. (Your boss would be particularly impressed to see you achieve so much before the day even started! and perhaps he might offer you the opportunity to go home early when you're hungry and feel less productive in the later part of the day).
• Don't waste those 2 hours between iftar and taraweeh in front of the TV. Use them for quiet reading, e-mailing, or any productive activity.
• Plan your day the night before, so that you do at least 3 important tasks the next day. When you set yourself such goals, you'll be geared towards maintaining them regardless of how hungry you are.  
• At times when you feel particularly hungry or worn out, do mundane tasks that don't require much thinking, e.g. administrative tasks, cleaning, typing up information..etc.  

Finally, the MOST important Time Management advice for Ramadan is to make sure you schedule in time for Allah (SWT), remember, this is Ramadan, we sometimes forget in our day to day running of the virtue and benefit of this month. Don't waste it for worldly deeds unless it's crucial, I know of a brothers who saves his holidays so that he gets all of Ramadan off and spend it in the mosque praying, reading Quran, and remembering Allah. Don't be caught out at the end of Ramadan with regret that you haven't done much during Ramadan.

2. Healthy Diet

Where should I start with diet of the Muslims today during Ramadan? My local imam used to be bemused at watching families stock up for Ramadan, you would think a war or famine is coming and there'll be no food for at least 6 months! 

At home, a state of emergency is declared in the kitchen, and a long list of "Ramadan dishes" are drawn up for poor mom to cook. I say poor mom, because instead of her spending time reading Quran, praying, she's enslaved to cook for her ever-demanding husband and children. 

What about those of us who have iftar in the mosque? That's another issue. For some reason, some brothers/sisters who organize collective iftar (especially in Mosques) have this bad habit of laying out ALL the food before iftar time, hence in the 10 minutes between athan and iqama of maghreb, an unwritten food competition begins on who can swallow the most kebabs and samosas!!! That's all well and good, until prayer time starts, and you hear a symphony of burping brothers during salat! On the other hand, for those organisors who are reasonable enough to delay the main meal till after maghreb salaat, I urge you to look into the iftar you bring in daily to the brothers/sisters. Rice + Meat + Curry on a daily basis can get tiresome after a while, and you need to convince your donors not just to bring in variety, but to think of healthy alternatives as well. 

I came across an excellent article, by a Muslim Nutritionist on healthy diet during Ramadan. You can click here to read it. He describes a 3 meal diet during the non-fasting hours of the evening which will keep you healthy and productive during the Holy month of Ramadan.

Well, that's all from me about maintaing productivity during Ramadan. I hope this covers some of basic points that would keep us all productive during Ramadan. Feel free to comment, ask questions, and even suggest different ways of maintaining productivity during Ramadan. In the end, I wish you all a blessed and happy Ramadan.