When Free, Labor Hard

As Muslims, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard of productivity.

فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ
Fa'idhā faraghta fansab
Therefore, when you are free (from your immediate task), still labor hard.

(Qur’ān, Sūrat al-Sharh, Āyah 7)

In this vein, I’m always looking for ways to increase my productivity (because, sadly, it's lacking). I’ve been a fan of the Franklin Planner System for quite some time now, but I’ve recently come across a phenomenon known as Getting Things Done (GTD). Though the system seems to be geared more for people in the business world, most of it is probably applicable to to everyday life. To start, get acquainted with 'GTD' In 60 seconds.

Now that you’re up to speed, as both the Franklin System and the GTD system necessitate, an important tool in the path toward productivity is a good planner system. For those people who use a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a program that I can’t recommend enough is WebIS’s Pocket Informant. It is somewhat loosely based on the Franklin System, but is flexible enough for GTD or even your own personalized system.

I’ll soon be adding tips and ideas as I come across them to help implement this system as well as items to promote general productivity, in shā’ Allāh.