Jeddah KSA Leading Productive Lives Sponsored by Organized

Jeddah, KSA Leading Productive Lives Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

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Programme Time Session 5. 00 pm Intro + Spiritual Productivity 7. 00 pm Break 7. 30 pm Physical Productivity 8. 30 pm Break 9. 00 pm Focus Management 10. 30 pm Q&A 11. 00 pm Departure

Let’s Begin!

Principles of Productivity Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

What does Productivity mean to you?

Industry Definition Output/Input = Productivity

Our Definition Productivity = Focus + Energy (towards a beneficial goal)

A Muslim Definition Productivity = Focus + Energy (towards maximising your reward in Akhira)

A Muslim’s Perspective Productivity starts with Intentions Outcome Action Intention Must be done with Excellence

Why is it important for you to be Productive?

Why is it important to be Productive? • Key to Success • Gives Meaning to Life • Fulfills Your Purpose in Life

The Productivity Triangle Knowledge Action Consistency

The Key to Consistency: Discipline Personal Discipline • Mind Management • Body Management • Life Management Spiritual Submission • You Belong to Him • You Need Him • Piety Islam Achieves Both Aspects of Discipline for you.

How to develop Discipline? Higher Purpose + Constant Practice + Self-Accountability

Islam has all 3 ingredients Higher Purpose = Serving Allah Constant Practice = Salah + Fasting Self-Accountability = Our Records

More Practical Advice • Best time to be disciplined is when you least want to • Better to die trying. . . then to give up! • Be aware of “slipping” points • Have a Mentor/Coach/Teacher • Dua Dua

Group Exercise: Choose 1 thing you find difficult to be disciplined in and pinpoint at least 1 slipping point Time: 5 minutes

Misconceptions of Productivity • Being Busy ≠ Being Productive • Being Productive ≠ no fun, no friends, no TV, no FB. . et • Being Productive is not an event!

3 Types of Productivity

The 3 Types of Productivity Islam Spiritual Productivity Physical Productivity Social Productivity

3 Qualities of a Productive. Muslim Spiritual Strength + Physical Vitality + Social Responsibility = Productive. Muslim

The Story of

Spiritual Productivity Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

Barakah: The Spiritual Link to Productivity

What is Barakah? ﻭﺍﻟﺒﺮﻛﺔ : ﻓﻲ ﺣﻠﺖ ﻭﺇﺫﺍ ، ﻛﺜﺮﺗﻪ ﻗﻠﻴﻞ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻠﺖ ﺇﺫﺍ ﻓﺈﻧﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﺸﻴﺀ؛ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻹﻟﻬﻲ ﺍﻟﺨﻴﺮ ﺛﺒﻮﺕ ﻫﻲ ﻭﺟﻞ ﻋﺰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻃﺎﻋﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺇﺳﺘﻌﻤﺎﻟﻬﺎ ﻛﻠﻬﺎ ﺍﻷﻤﻮﺭ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺒﺮﻛﺔ ﺛﻤﺎﺭ ﺃﻌﻈﻢ ﻭﻣﻦ ، ﻧﻔﻊ ﻛﺜﻴﺮ. “Barakah is the attachment of Divine goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits. And the greatest fruits of Barakah in all things is to use that barakah in the obedience of Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’ala)”

18 sources of Barakah 1. Good Intentions 7. Honesty in Trade 13. Charity 2. Belief and 3. Putting your 4. Reciting Piety in Allah trust in Allah Quran 8. Dua 9. Halal 10. Following Income/mone the Sunnah y 14. Tying Ties 15. Waking up 16. Marriage of Kinship early 5. Saying “Bismillah” 6. Eating with People 11. Praying Istikhara 12. Giving Thanks to Allah 17. Salah 18. Istighfar

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 1: Sunnah Prayers before/after Salah

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 2: Remembrance of Allah after every Salah

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 3: Morning/Evening Remembrance of Allah

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 4: Night Prayer

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 5: Duha Prayer

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 6: Always being in a state of Wudhu

7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop 7: Recite 30 m of Quran each day (minimum!)

Summary Definitions of Productivity Importance of Productivity Triangle 3 Types of Productivity Spiritual Productivity Barakah and Productivity 7 Daily Spiritual Habits to Develop

Spiritual Productivity Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

Physical Productivity Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

3 x Essential Body Hacks Managing Sleep Managing Food Managing Fitness

Changing Behaviour is Key! Brain vs. Mind

2 x Critical Skills 1. Understanding how your brain reacts to change (Hint: Your brain doesn’t like it. ) 2. Applying mind over matter to replace negative thinking with a more positive mind-set

How I overcame my Brain?

1. Divine Support 2. Physical Vitality 3. Mental Will What you need. . .

How many days to change? 21 days to ‘like’ a new habit 66 days to change permanently

What if you fail? ! • Life is a Continuum (driving along the way) • Keep your eye on the prize • Keep away from distractions • Involve Others

Managing Sleep

The Importance of Sleep • 1/3 of Your Life is Spent Sleeping! • Cannot be resisted (the gentle tyrant) • Important for health & well-being If you can manage sleep, you can manage your life

The Spiritual Significance of Sleep • Sign of Allah’s Power (Ayatul Kursi) • Realization of our Weakness • Reminder of Death/Resurrection • Rewards to those who overcome Sleep for Worship

Dilemma! Sleeping For Dunya vs. Sleeping For Akhira

How to Sleep? Spiritual Physical Social

How to Sleep? (Spiritual Solutions) Actions Before Sleep - Witr Prayer - Wudhu - Dua before Sleep During Sleep - Constant Remembrance - Dua if you wake up middle of the night - Dua if you can’t sleep - Dua upon waking up After Sleep - First actions

How to Sleep? (Physical Solutions) • Exercise to burn off stress (2 -3 hrs before sleep) • Do not eat after 8. 00 pm • No caffeine in the evenings • Stretch before going to bed • Make the room as cool as possible • Do light reading before bed • Avoid TV (or laptop, Screens. . etc)

How to Sleep? (Physical Solutions) Sleep Cycle: Your Key to Quality Sleep

Understanding Your Sleep Cycle • We’re not Machines. Everything in our body Pulses Rhythmically. Law of Allah in the Universe Manage your sleep by working with your natural pulse and not against it

Understanding Your Sleep Cycle Stage 1: Falling Asleep Stage 5: REM: Dreaming Stage 2: Light Sleep 90 -120 minutes Stage 4: Deep, slowwave sleep Stage 3: Deep, slowwave sleep

Understanding Your Sleep Cycle 11. 30 pm 1. 00 am 2. 30 am 4. 00 am 10 pm 5 am 1 sleep cycle 2 sleep cycles 3 sleep cycles 4 sleep cycles (Assuming 90 m Sleep Cycles)

Common Question How many hours should you sleep each night? How many sleep cycles do you need?

Q. What if I’m still tired? A. Power Naps

The Power of Power Naps • A Nap of 90 min improves alertness by 10 hrs! • Naps make you smarter, healthier, & safer. • Why we need to nap? • Our bodies are programmed for 2 periods of intense sleep. (2 am - 4 am, and 1 pm - 3 pm) • 3 Types of Naps: • Cat Nap (20 m), Action Nap (40 m), Long Nap (90 m).

How to Nap? • Choose a safe/quiet place (preferably lie down) • Have a light blanket (nothing heavy!) • Set an Alarm • Darken the Room/Use Eye Shades • Calm your body by breathing slowly/deeply • Use earplugs or turn on white noise • Quiet Your Mind with Dhikr

How to Sleep? (Social Solutions) • Having a ‘Clean’ Heart before going to bed by: • Forgiving those who wronged you • Resolving Conflicts/Emotional Issues • Do NOT sleep whilst angry • If it’s too late to talk to people, write it down! Imagine you died that night

How to Sleep? Spiritual Physical Social

ACTION POINTS!!! 1. Learn the ‘Before Sleep Duas. Practice daily. 2. Measure Your Sleep Cycle (Involve friends/family) 3. Build a Habit of Napping into your routine

Early Rising • Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said “O Allah, make the early morning hours blessed for my nation. ” • Early Rising Starts the Night Before • Have a Daily Morning Routine • Effective Ways to Wake Up

Group Exercise: Develop your own Morning Routine Time: 10 minutes

Example of Morning Routine Time Action 4. 00 am Qiyam/Witr 4. 30 am Remembrance of Allah/Dua 5. 00 am Fajr + Athkar + Quran Exercise/Brainstorm/Reading/Wri 6. 30 am ting 7. 00 am Breakfast

Summary 3 x Essential Body Hacks Brain vs. Mind 3 x Ways to Manage Sleep The Importance of Early Rising

Physical Productivity Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

POP QUIZ! • What is the definition of Productivity? • What are the 3 types of Productivity? • What are the 3 ingredients to develop discipline? • How many days does it take to ‘like’ a new habit? • If I have a 90 min sleep cycle and I sleep at 11 pm, how many sleep cycles can I fit, if I need to wake up at 5 am?

Focus Management Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

Our Definition of Productivity = Focus + Energy (towards a beneficial goal)

How many minutes can you focus on a single task without getting distracted?

Why is it so hard to focus these days?

Why is it important to focus? • If you cannot focus [fill in the blanks] • Key Factor in Achieving Goals • Key Factor of Success (Dunya & Akhira!)

RECLAIM YOUR FOCUS!

Practical Tips to Boost Your FOCUS

Step 1: Clear Your Mind • Perform a Brain Dump! • Record Your Brain Dump in a ‘trusted’ place

Step 2: Identify M. I. Ts • M. I. Ts = Most Important Tasks • 3 -5 M. I. Ts Maximum • Important/Not Urgent • Arrange by Priority

Step 3: Apply the Focus Equation Focus = Disconnect + Simplify

Step 3 a: Disconnect • Unplug • Disconnect Time • Solitude Zone • Get Outside/Change Environment • Make Yourself Invisible online • Stop ALL Notifications! • Internet Blocking Software, e. g. Freedom

Step 3 b: Simplify • De-clutter your desktop • De-clutter your Mind • De-clutter Your Life • Avoid Multi-tasking! One task at a time!

Step 4: Repeat Regularly! • Practice • Have at least 1 x Focus session per day • Schedule “Focus Blocks” in your calendar

Steps to build FOCUS Muscle! • Step 1: Clear Your Mind • Step 2: Identify M. I. Ts • Step 3. Apply Focus Equation • Step 4: Repeat the above regularly!

How does Islam boost our focus?

3 x Ways Islam Improves our Focus Salah Lowering the Gaze Recitation of Quran

Salah: A School of Focus

Salah and Focus [23: 1]Successful indeed are the believers. [23: 2]Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness

How does Salah boost our Focus? • Disconnect from this life/Connect to Afterlife • A complex/simple Ritual • ‘Tuma’nina’ vs. Khushoo

How to improve focus in Salah? • The ‘fan’ example • Stop at Athan • Going to Masjid • Recite new Surahs • The 3 spits • Dua

Lowering The Gaze: Help Your Heart Focus

Reduces Distraction on the Heart “The soul is a temptress and loves to look at beautiful forms and the eye is the guide of the heart. The heart commissions its guide to go and look to see what is there and when the eye informs it of a beautiful image it shudders out of love and desire for it. Frequently such inter-relations tire and wear down both the heart and the eye. Therefore when the sight is prevented from looking and investigating the heart finds relief from having to go through the arduous task of (vainly) seeking and desiring. ” Ibn Al-Qayyim

Gives Your Penetrating Insight “Whosoever builds his outward form upon following the Sunnah, his internal form upon perpetual contemplation and awareness of Allaah, he restrains his soul from following desires, he lowers his gaze from the forbidden things and he always eats the lawful things then his perception and insight shall never be wrong. ” - Ibn Shujaa’ Al-Kirmaanee

Strengthens Your Discipline “the people seek nobility and power at the door of the Kings and they will not find it except through the obedience of Allaah. ”

Recitation of Quran Develop Mindful Focus

Losing ‘Touch’ with the Quran in 7 Days Quran in 30 Days Quran in 60 days 5 pages per day 1 page per day 1 Ayah per day

Let’s ‘Rebuild’ the Relationship again Quran in 7 Days Quran in 30 Days Quran in 60 days 5 pages per day 1 page per day 1 Ayah per day

How to improve focus in Quran? • Make an appointment with the Quran • Read to understand/teach • Ask Questions/Make dua as you read • Embark on Memorization Journey

3 x Ways Islam Improves our Focus Salah Lowering the Gaze Recitation of Quran

BONUS SESSION: Beating Procrastination! Sponsored by: Organized by: Presented by: Mohammed Faris, Founder & CEO, Productive. Muslim. com

“There’s an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. . . It’s aim is to kill you. . . . It’s inside you, but it’s not you. . . It’s called Resistance. ” We call it Shaytaan.