Assalamu’alaikum,

What is it – that if you get done BEFORE Ramadan – would make your Ramadan easier to handle?

Perhaps it’s that work project that you want to wrap up before Ramadan so you’re not stressed about it during Ramadan. Or maybe it’s preparing your home for Ramadan so you’re not worried about that when Ramadan begins. Or perhaps it’s finishing all the Eid shopping before Ramadan, so in the last 10 nights of Ramadan – you’re not hitting the malls!

How to setup your Pre-Ramadan M.G.D List

M.G.D stands for Must Get Done – and it’s a list of things that you want to get done before Ramadan to make your Ramadan run smoothly and you’re not stressed out about the little things that take away from the spirit of Ramadan.

To setup your personal pre-Ramadan M.G.D list, here’s what to do:

1. Take a stock of everything you need to get done in various areas of your life (Spiritual, Work/School, Community, Family, Home, etc). Just dump everything on a piece of paper and don’t worry about ordering them or categorising them. The idea is just to capture them all.
2. For every to-do you have on that list, ask yourself the following questions:
   1. Can I delete it? e.g. Do I really need to attend that conference in June? or can I cancel it? Do I really need to re-model my kitchen this summer? or can that wait?
   2. Can I defer it? e.g. Do I HAVE to finish this project at work before/during Ramadan, or can it wait till after Ramadan? Do I HAVE to plan my December vacation now, or can it wait? Do I need to do this extra semester now or can I defer?
   3. Can I delegate it? e.g. Can I hire someone to deep clean my house for one day so my house is ready for Ramadan/Eid instead of doing it myself? Can I hire someone to help me with preparing Eid gifts from now?
3. Anything that does not pass the above three questions – goes into your M.G.D list.
4. Now, it’s time to get specific and plan exactly when you’ll get certain things done from your M.G.D list, e.g.
   1. When will I get my dua list ready?
   2. When will I get my Eid shopping done for my children?
   3. When wil I get Eid Gifts for family/friends?
   4. When will I complete this project at work so it doesn’t run into Ramadan?
   5. When will I plan this community project I wanted to do in Ramadan so I hit the ground running in Ramadan.
   6. My car needs urgent service – when can I book it for service.
5. Involve your family: This list is best prepared in a family setting with your spouse/children/parents so everyone is involved, but can also be prepared alone if you’re single or the only revert in your family.

Hope the above is clear.

The idea is to think through and anticipate what can be done before Ramadan and get it out of the way so you’re not stressed before/during Ramadan with errands/tasks you wished you got done before.

Source : ProductiveMuslim