Being Productive and Getting Close to Allah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Being busy and being productive can be two very different things. If you're super busy but can't manage to get anything done, you're not alone. It's very easy to succumb to the temptation of staying busy even when it is counterproductive.

People have an aversion to idleness. Do you know anyone who will, by choice, drive miles out of their way to avoid waiting for a few minutes at traffic lights, even if the detour means their journey takes more time? I do. Research suggests that the same applies to work, where many of the things we choose to do are merely justifications to keep ourselves busy.

The second reason for constant busyness is an inherent "bias toward action," When faced with uncertainty or a problem, particularly an ambiguous one, we prefer to do something, even if it's counterproductive and doing nothing is the best course of action.

The action bias is usually an emotional reaction to the sense that you should do something, even if you don't know what to do, hanging back, observing, exploring a situation and reflecting is often the better choice."

In one study, it was found that people feel more productive when they are completing tasks rather than planning them. When under a deadline, subjects perceived planning as a waste of time--even if it actually leads to better performance than jumping into the task head-first.

You need to keep in mind is that it's your choice whether to be busy or to be productive. It's easier to choose to be busy, but you must remind yourself to be productive and take time to reflect and plan before descending into busy mode. Take your time to plan.

In another study, the researcher went to a tech support call center to see if thinking and planning help productivity. They asked one group of employees-in-training to take 15 minutes out of their day to write and reflect on the things they had learned throughout the day. The other group of employees-in-training just continued working until it was time to go home. The researchers found that after one month, the "reflection group" increased its performance on the final training test by an average of 22.8 percent more than the group who used the 15 minutes to get more work done.

Reflection has such beneficial effects on performance because it makes us more aware of where we are, gives us information about our progress, and lends us the confidence we need to accomplish tasks and goals.

Act like a goalie.

Take a look at professional soccer goalies and the best strategies to stop the opponent from scoring on a penalty kick. Many goalies decide to jump to the right or the left without waiting and watching where the opponent is kicking the ball. According to a study, goalkeepers who dive to the right only stop the ball 12.6 percent of the time, while those who dive to the left only stop it 14.2 percent of the time. The most successful goalies stay in the center--they stop the ball at a 33.3 percent rate. As it turns out, staying in the center is best.

Learning to stay in the center, as goalkeepers should, involves stepping back, allocating time to just think and reflect, and only then taking action. Through reflection, we can better understand the actions we are considering and ensure they are the ones that will make us productive.

Reflection allows believers to discern what is good and evil, beneficial and harmful, beautiful and ugly, and makes the universe a book to study and reveals the Qur’an’s deeper meanings more clearly.

إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ‌ٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْ‌ضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ‌ لَءَايَـٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ﴿١٩٠

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. (190) [Qur'an, AleImran 3:190]

Be productive, seek knowledge and take action. Ask yourself, "Is this action I am going to take is going to please Allah or displease Him?" If it is not going to please Allah, don't do it.

The more you love Allah, subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He), the more you will do actions that will please Him and the more He will get closer to you. The more you will want to learn about the sunnah and the Qur’an and want to get even closer to Him, the closer you will become to reaching the level of ihsan (excellence). When you reach that level you will feel Allah’s subḥānahu wa ta'āla love and you will be satisfied with everything He gives you. You will be productive because you won’t want to waste time without pleasing Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla. You will be confident in anything that you do in your life, because you will have full trust in Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla.

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ‌ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ‌ۭ رَّ‌حِيمٌ ﴿٣١

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (31) [Qur'an, AleImran 3:31]

May Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla guide us to the path that takes us closer to Him. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.
Wassalaam