Having fun is a basic human need. It is something almost every human (except perhaps the exceptionally pious) needs in order to recharge, relax, and perform at their best. In this article, I want to explore three primary aspects of having fun;
What is learning anyway? When people say they learned something, is it the same as getting a degree or completing a formal class? I believe that there is a huge difference between learning and education and that learning is far more important than ‘formal education’.
Learning, is psychology, is defined as a permanent change in behavior. Education is generally defined as completing a formal study program. Sometimes the two occur together, but often they do not. An example of this is running a business. Someone could complete a degree in business studies, yet still, be clueless on how to successfully start and run a business. Someone else, having never been to business school, but growing up working in his father’s shop may know exactly what is needed to make a business thrive. The first has an education, the second learned how to do business. The first has a degree, the second has the experience that permanently changed the way he does business.
There is an overemphasis on formal education today. Far too many people are taught that in order to succeed in life, they need a degree. Reality is that just as many people succeed in life without a formal education, as those who do. Perhaps even more. Education today has become a business revolving around memorization, regurgitation, accolades, and bureaucracy. Whether in school or university, it is very easy to pass by simply memorizing, remembering a few points for the tests, scoring some awards, and pleasing the right people.
This doesn’t make a person ready for the real world, or truly indicate that they have learned anything. The school system doesn’t take into account things like different learning styles, evolving technologies, real-world life skills, or shaping the behavior of students in a positive way. For too many young people, school and university are simply a game of survival and ‘passing the test’. There is no motivation to learn, grow or improve through the experience, except for a few exceptional students.
Young people can learn a lot more by living their lives outside of these institutes than they do in them. They can choose a learning style that suits them like reading, listening, doing or asking questions to an expert. They can choose fields they are interested in and pursue those entirely. Most importantly, they can experience life, make mistakes, and learn through all of this.
So someone who learns well through reading and wants to be a computer specialist would benefit more from sitting at home reading coding books all day. A potential athlete would benefit more from spending his prime learning years practicing, instead of sitting in a classroom. A future chef would be successful far quicker if she spent her educational years with a mentor, instead of learning history and algebra. And a future inventor would benefit more from tinkering in his home lab (like Einstein did) then from going to school.
Life is where the real learning happens. It is outside the classroom in the workplace, the home, books, online courses, mentoring, practicing, and exploring. These are the places were true learning thrives and happens. Schools have simply become babysitters to keep children out of the parents’ way, rather than actual places of learning.
That may sound like a radical thought. Maybe it is. But every day more and more people are thinking about it. The world is changing. Knowledge is available online in almost any field. As I write this, two of my children are attending online courses, while the other two are using YouTube to explore their interests. All of them spend more time reading books than attending formal classes. And each of them enjoys learning and loves the entire system we have developed for them.
The world is changing. We have the technology. We have the internet. We have the resources at home. We no longer need an outdated industrial-era system of education. Either we revamp it completely or throw it out the window. The longer society takes to make this decision, the more people will waste a large portion of their lives thinking they are learning while doing nothing more than simply receiving an education.
But school and university are the only paths to success, right? Not anymore, here are a few alternatives:
1. Homeschooling
2. Online Learning
3. Self Education
4. Starting a Business
5. Finding a mentor
6. Interning
7. Unschooling
8. Traveling
9. Reading
10. Spending time with people who have succeeded in your field of interest
All of these methods are far more beneficial than wasting a large portion of one’s life in a classroom. Find a method that works for you and start today, even if it is for just an hour a day after school.
NOTE: I am NOT anti-education. I am simply writing this to get people thinking about alternatives. School isn’t working, it is outdated and needs a revamp. Until we do so, there is no harm in exploring alternative forms of education. We shouldn’t deceive ourselves into thinking that passing tests and receiving accolades is real learning. Furthermore, formal education is still necessary for certain career paths like medicine and psychology, so we can’t do away with it altogether. It is important, but not as important as real learning, that is where life happens.
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The abundance mentality is the philosophy that there is enough in this world for everybody, and that we can all prosper together. It is the opposite of the scarcity mentality which pervades capitalistic societies. The scarcity mentality is the belief that there are limited resources in the world, and there isn’t enough for everybody.
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey explains clearly the difference between the scarcity mentality and the abundance mentality. He describes the Scarcity Mentality as follows:
Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else. The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit—even with those who help in the production. They also have a hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people.
Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, p. 219
He describes the Abundance mentality as follows:
The Abundance Mentality, on the other hand, flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth or security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in the sharing of prestige, recognition, profits, and decision-making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity.
Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, pp. 219-220
Stephen Covey explained the harms of the scarcity mentality as follows:
People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit…They also have a hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people. Even, and sometimes, especially, members of their own family or close friends and associates. It’s almost as if something is being taken from them when someone else receives special recognition…
Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, p. 219
The abundance mentality for Muslims is an even deeper issue, it is a matter of theology. Muslims believe that God created the entire universe, provides for all His creation, and that God’s treasures are limitless. Based on these beliefs, a scarcity mentality can lead to defects in one’s understanding of God and His infinite treasures.
The scarcity mentality is based on false notions about this world and God. These false notions lead to a problematic understanding of resources and how they are divided. In reality, there is enough food, wealth, and everything else for all of humanity to live comfortably. Unfortunately, this wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few elite capitalist leaders.
Yet, if it were distributed fairly, world poverty would not exist. This balance and fair distribution actually occurred in ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz’s kingdom during his reign. ʿUmar’s economic reforms, as well as his emphasis on the collection and fair distribution of the Zakat, led to a strong economy. The economy grew so strong under ʿUmar II that there reached a point in which people had difficulty locating eligible Zakat recipients.
In a truly Islamic environment, it is common to find most people engaging in acts of charity well above the minimum. They do so regardless of their economic status and without fear of poverty. This is because Islam cements the abundance mentality into the minds of its believers.
Islam teaches us that God’s treasures are limitless, and even if every creature asked God for whatever they wanted and He gave it to them, it would not decrease His treasures in the least.
Muslims also believe that charity increases wealth and causes Baraka (spiritual blessings) in one’s wealth. With such deep-rooted spiritual beliefs, it is clear why Muslims who understand their religion are often among the most charitable people in the world, without any anxiety about poverty.
The abundance mindset is easily espoused when a person has the correct understanding of God and His Attributes. One of Allah’s Beautiful Names is al-Ghani which translates as “The Independent” or “The Richest” or “The One whose treasures are limitless”.
Based on this belief, Muslims have a firm conviction that there are enough resources on earth for everybody, and the apparent shortage or deficiency is simply a matter of flawed access and distribution. This is why a Muslim trader would not feel threatened if someone purchased an item from a neighboring store. He simply sees it as that person receiving his share of sustenance from God whose own treasures are limitless.
In Islamic theology, the scarcity mindset is considered one of the tricks of the devil. God states in the Quran, “Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and abundance. And Allah is All-Encompassing and All-Knowing.” (Quran 2:268)
In the above verse, the scarcity mentality is listed as a trick of the devil that leads to immorality–much like how Umar’s cousins had him poisoned out of fear of loss of wealth. The scarcity mentality causes jealousy, hatred, anger, pettiness, miserliness, and is sometimes the rod prodding one to commit violence and murder. Therefore, the scarcity mentality is condemned in Islam as a trick of the devil.
This same verse also highlights the abundance mentality as a gift from God. The verse mentions God’s name al-Wāsi (The All-Encompassing) which means that God’s treasures are limitless and abundant. It also means that everything belongs to God and He is the one who distributes his treasures among His Creation. It also means that God’s generosity is limitless. All these meanings engrave in the mind of the believer an abundance mentality. Furthermore, in this same verse, God promises abundance for His servants.
This verse shapes the believer’s mindset regarding wealth and sustenance. Ideas of poverty, competition, jealousy, and pettiness are all tricks of the devil to push us into evil actions. While obedience to God leads to abundance, maybe not in material wealth but in contentment, happiness, inner peace, Baraka, and good character. All of which are more important than material wealth.
When a person adopts an abundance mentality, worries about this world fall away. Without worry, a person is able to be more charitable, generous, caring, happy, and content. This leads to a higher quality of life and better mental health overall.
This article was adapted from chapter seven of my latest book Productivity Principles of Umar II. The book is available at Amazon and Gumroad. (CLICK HERE to get the ebook from Gumroad at a discounted price – limited availability)
Everybody has 24 hours in a day, but some people are able to accomplish more in this time than others. When we look at the lives of these people, they all have a stronger awareness and control over their time i.e. they practice time management.
Time management is simply a strategy or system for using your time more effectively. Any system or strategy that you develop to get more done in a day is effective time management. Over the years, I have developed multiple systems and strategies that help me to manage my time effectively. I have written about these in detail in my best-selling ebook Getting The Barakah.
Today, however, I want to share with you the 7 core skills that I teach in this book.
If you analyze the lives of successful people, you will notice that most of them begin their day early. As Muslims, we know that there is Barakah (Blessings) in the early part of the day, so why not grab that Barakah by starting our days early?
Try this for a week. Wake up every day at Fajr time. After Fajr, recite Quran and engage in some acts of worship. Then exercise, have breakfast and prepare for your day. Finally, get ONE high-concentration task done before everybody else wakes up.
If you keep at this, I guarantee you will find that you will be able to accomplish more in a day than you previously thought possible.
There are different methods and systems of time management. Some use a calendar, while others divide their day into blocks. I prefer a to-do list because it is more flexible and easy to draw up.
The key to a successful to-do list is to draw it up the night before so that you begin your day knowing exactly what you need to get done that day. The list should include daily priorities, personal development tasks, and action items that assist you in working towards your long-term goals. I discuss each of these concepts in more detail in my book.
A major time management mistake that a lot of people make is multitasking. Multitasking only works with low concentration tasks, eg: listening to a podcast while exercising. However, trying to multitask when working on a high concentration task will only slow you down and reduce the quality of your work.
Instead of multitasking, block off time (preferably during your peak performance time) for high-concentration tasks. During this time, put aside all distractions and focus intensively on the task at hand. Give the task your undivided attention for 45 minutes to an hour, and it will get done faster with superior results.
I utilize this method daily for writing my blog posts, writing my books, and preparing my classes. It works wonderfully and is a must for anyone who does any work that requires a lot of concentration.
I discuss this in detail in the book, and in even more detail in my newest book Productivity Principles of ʿUmar II. To summarize this concept, anything that can be done by someone else and doesn’t require your personal effort should be delegated to others.
There are essentially two types of tasks that you should delegate, tasks anybody can do and tasks in areas that you do not specialize in. The first could be delegated to anybody competent, the latter should be delegated to experts. Delegation frees up time to get more done every day.
We now have access to something even better than delegation; automation! There are dozens of tasks that can be automated. Take time to figure out what you are doing that can be done by a computer instead, and get those tasks automated!
To learn more about delegation and automation, make sure to read my latest book!
The 80/20 rule may sound like nonsense at first, but it has proven to be quite accurate. It simply means that a large portion of our results come from a small portion of our effort. Identifying that small portion of effort and doubling down on it helps to get more done faster. This system also helps eliminate tasks from your life that may be simple tasks without any real results.
Take some time to identify what you are doing that doesn’t work, eliminate it! Find out what brings in the best results, and double down on it! This is the best usage of the 80/20 principle in time management.
No matter how well you manage your time, life will happen. You will need to be flexible so you can make time for all the unexpected tasks that pop up in a day. This is why I recommend scheduling six hours of set tasks in an eight-hour workday, so you have two hours to handle anything else that pops up during the day that you weren’t prepared for.
Do not make the mistake of being so unflexible in your time management that you are unable to get things done when life happens. Because life will happen, so its best to prepare and leave some time for it.
Finally, learn to say no! It is one of the most skills you can learn. Sometimes, we try too hard to please everybody and end up taking on too many extra projects. In doing so, we do justice to none of them and end up overworked. A simple polite no is far better than a poorly done project.
Practice saying no to tasks and projects that you can’t handle, or which you feel are a waste of time. Practice polite ways of saying no so that you do not offend anybody. Once you get good at saying no, you will find yourself with a lot more time to work on the things that really matter!
Ready to take your time management to the next level? Grab a copy of Getting The Barakah and get started today!
This article isn’t a pep talk. It isn’t a fluffy motivational article about willing what you want into existence or the power of positive thinking.
