We all know that one person in our lives who is always “working.”
It can be the evening, the weekend, or even a holiday and somehow they’re still in front of
their computers. But it’s not the type of work you’re thinking of. It’s the kind that I’m still
often guilty of doing from time to time. Where I tell myself, alright I need to catch up or get
ahead, so I’m going to work this weekend. Saturday morning rolls around and all I do is think about
how much I have to get done but I practically just end up staring at my screen for most of the day.
And if we have plans to go out, I’ll pack my laptop “just in case” I can
get in some reading done in the car. For the record, I’ve never gotten any reading done.
Of course, this type of work is almost always useless. For one, your head is not in the zone
so your focus is pretty much fleeting. But worse, you don’t give your mind a time to space out and
relax in order to reenergize for the next day. Which is why I’ve found that one of the most
useful tips in spending your time wisely is the idea of completely shutting down your
work space and mind. Where you plan out your day, and once your day is done, it’s done. Because the
reality is is that you’re usually doing more harm than good by spending after work hours
not being fully present. By completely transitioning in and out of your tasks,
you create boundaries around your work and can be fully present for either the next task at hand or
simply enjoying time with friends and family. Since I still have a bad habit of “working”
around the clock, I think about this often. And I’ve slowly begun to recognize how prophetic of
an action it actually is to go into “start” and “end” mode. The Prophet (s) was infamous for
not multitasking. If he was doing something, he was completely present. Aisha (ra) narrates how
when the Prophet (s) was at home, he was always spending time with family and helping around the
house. And she specifically describes that when the athan for prayer would come in, it was his
cue to redirect his attention to what was coming next. Even when he was talking with people, he was
known (s) to fully turn his body toward whoever he was speaking to, shake their hands firmly with
eye contact, signaling to them that, you have my full attention. And nothing testifies more to this
reality than the fact that every companion of the Prophet thought they were the most beloved to him.
That’s how much care and focus he gave to what was in front of him, that everyone felt so incredibly
special before the Prophet of God (s). And even in his own spiritual practices,
he created cues to get his mind in the zone. After rising in the night to pray tahajjud,
the Prophet (s), before beginning what would be extremely lengthy prayers, is recorded
to have offered two short rukas as essentially “warm-up” to immerse himself in the habit at hand.
In so many similar ways, the Prophet (s) offered us tools in our day-to-day actions
to set ourselves up for what lies ahead of us. As a simple example, think about one of the purposes
of doing wudu before salah. You’re physically purifying yourself, yes, but you’re also mentally
preparing yourself to stand before Allah. And for any action we’re about to begin, the Prophet (s)
told us to begin with Bismillah--in the Name of Allah. And that any action that is important that
doesn’t begin with bismillah is abtar, it is cut off, it lacks barakah or blessing. This last one
is of particular significance because it really reflects the culmination of prophetic practice.
Starting your tasks or habits with bismillah does not only work to signal an official “start” or
focus to your action, but it also serves to reorient the purpose of your actions.
Here I am beginning in the Name of God, the One I serve, and the One for whom I do what I
do. And with that simple cue, you’ve not only trained your mind to initiate “action time”
but also have invoked the blessings of Allah in the process. Now that’s a win-win if you ask me.