Posted by Today, Muslims around the world begin their journey towards getting ever closer to God. During this holy month of Ramadan, Muslim devotees abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, besides other practices that underpin the Islamic religion.
By essence, fasting brings spiritual power, but with a hectic work schedule, it may lead to dehydration and energy deficiency. So how can you ensure high productivity while fasting during your workdays?
Here are some tips to keep yourself energised to accomplish more goals.
Commit to your goals
Take this month to recharge your purpose in life following the spirit of Ramadan. As fasting comes with self-restraint and spiritual training, it essentially boosts your willpower and helps you conquer any challenging mission.
Compile a list of things that matter to you, be it cultivating new habits or eradicating sins from your life, to focus on while fasting. Through the power of fasting, you’ll find yourself more productive and cheerful every day!
 “A fasting person empties his stomach of all the material things: to fill his soul with peace and blessings, to fill his heart with love and sympathy, to fill his spirit with piety and Faith, to fill his mind with wisdom and resolution.” – H. Abdalati in Islam in Focus.
Plan and prioritise your tasks
It can be very challenging to maintain your regular productivity without sufficient energy. Also, the difference in working hours among Muslim and non-Muslim staffs will likely cause a hindrance to the team’s progress. Therefore, optimising a work schedule while fasting is of the utmost importance.
Prioritise urgent and most important tasks on top of your to-do list so that you can tackle them head on when your energy level is highest. As your metabolism slows down towards the last few hours before breaking fast, you have at least completed the bulk of your primary work in an efficient manner.
If you collaborate with other colleagues on a shared project who don’t observe Ramadan, discuss with the team on a timeline for you to finish your particular task. Just make sure that there won’t be any interruption as you need to break fast on time.
Take some downtime AND exercise
Power naps during breaks can be helpful to reserve your energy until iftar. Or you can consider carrying out some light exercise, such as jogging before sahur , to boost your fat burning and keep you energised throughout the day.
While fasting, allow yourself to unplug from work after office hours. Since Ramadan is the time to earn rewards from Allah, dedicate your time and energy to prayer and righteous deeds. You can take the commuting time to read Qur’an, participate in charity activities, or simply spend more time with your family. It will help to divert your focus off hunger as well.
Eat healthy with a proper meal plan
Don’t ignore the impact of a healthy meal plan for sahur and iftar. While most people tend to consume heavy meals soon after breaking fast, it’s actually recommended to have a light iftar and take it slowly.
To discipline yourself to stick to a healthy diet, plan your meals on a weekly basis. Try to balance your carbohydrate and protein intake. Also, eat consciously, eating too fast will put you at risk of acid reflux. Restrain from heavy snacks or junk food at the wee hours before sleep. Say no to caffeine and sugar-rich foods or beverages. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking more water while breaking fast but don’t drink too much at once.
Here is a healthy 30-day meal plan that you can follow, created by Zarah Choudhury-Alani.
Ramadan 2017 starts from 27 May until 24 June. Ramadan Mubarak – Wishing you a blessed Ramadan!