Productive Mommy Blogger

As a mother of three young children, I was surprised to find that each of my children were so very different from one another. With each child came his or her own unique challenges, therefore leading me to constantly try new parenting techniques to overcome these issues. By the time my youngest child was one and half years old, I had gathered up an enormous mental list of all the tips and advice I could share with other mothers that would benefit them through the stages of pregnancy through parenthood. As a result, I decided to take my knowledge and parenting experiences that resided within my mind and transfer them into blog posts for others to learn from.

In the first of my series of articles, I will share my top ten tips on how to be a successful and productive blogger mommy. Look out for my future articles; they’ll be full of tips on how to be a productive mother, whilst balancing all the key duties of Muslimah.

When I first started my blog, I decided to use WordPress as my blog platform, although there are many different platforms to choose from, such as Blogger and Tumblr. Starting a blog is free of cost, and there are countless themes and templates to choose from. Social media is an excellent tool to use in order to spread the word of your posts and attract readers from around the world.

Keep in mind, that the role of a mommy blogger is not an easy one to say the least, for it requires you to work around your children’s schedule and let’s face it, that’s never a breeze! However, with the proper planning and scheduling, it can it possible to balance being both a mommy and a blogger, with all the other roles required of a Muslim woman. Of course, you don’t have to be a mommy to be a blogger – just a productive Muslimah with an idea!

1. Have sincere intention, desire and passion

Intention is everything! You can combine many intentions for maximum reward: for example, have the intention to help others, the intention to better yourself through creative expression, the intention to share beneficial knowledge. If pleasing Allah  is our main aim, then we have already succeeded, no matter how many people read your blog.

The second thing you will need to become a mommy blogger is a strong internal desire and passion for writing and sharing your experiences. You must genuinely love to write and want to connect with others; this desire and passion is what will help motivate you  to publish a blog post regularly.

2. Write down your ideas

It is key to write down an idea for a blog post as soon as it comes to mind. Being a mom can mean your thoughts are all over the place, so before you lose a great blog post idea, write it down in a notebook or your phone/tablet, so you don’t forget it.

3. Set realistic goals

Writing down goals will motivate you to meet them. Consider your situation and be realistic in how many blog posts you are able to publish every month. If you have young children, or children who require special attention, then set a goal for publishing one blog post every week instead of two posts a week. Consistency over quantity!

4. Stay connected with other sisters

Get connected with sisters who follow your blog through social media; Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are great ways to communicate with your followers and a excellent tools for sharing your blog posts. Furthermore, your followers will give you feedback on what posts they would like to see from you, providing you with ideas for future posts.

5. Get the housework done

Try to get the housework done earlier on in the day, this way you have the rest of the day to spend with your family and work on blog posts. The less housework there is, the less stress you will have as a mommy blogger.

6. Create a schedule

Create a schedule that allows you to allocate your time wisely. As a mother, the best time to draft for a blog post is right after you put the kids to bed. Schedule in one hour for all the other things that come with blogging; connecting with your followers on social media, checking e-mail, etc. Moreover, try to find pockets of time within the day for blogging, for instance staying up after Fajr prayer is a great time for productivity, and perhaps after Dhuhr prayer (when the kids are napping) would be an ideal time to edit a blog post.

7. Get inspired

If you feel uninspired and don’t know what to blog about, then take inspiration from your surroundings, from people around you, and gems from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Blog about a pivotal moment in your life, how you’re feeling, what your stance is on an important situation, how motherhood has changed you, what your children have taught you, how your faith has changed since becoming a parent, and so on. Furthermore, get creative and publish your blog posts in different formats. For the days that you don’t have time to write a lengthy and detailed post, try posting a simple visual or a short poem instead.

8. Seek assistance and take a break

As a Muslimah mommy, it is normal to feel overwhelmed from time to time; that’s why it is key to ask your loved ones for help. Ask your spouse or family members to watch the children while you work on a few blog post ideas, or just take a break from everything altogether. Often times, taking a small break refreshes your mind and gives you new ideas and instant motivation to get back on track.

9. Network with other blogging sisters

Get in contact with other mommy bloggers and have them write a guest blog post for your blog. Guest blog posts are great if you are not able to write a blog post yourself in certain situations, i.e your children are sick or you are feeling unwell yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to ask other mommy bloggers for advice and tips, and consider reposting some of their blog posts (always ask for permission first) on your blog.

10. Surround yourself with positivity

Be in the presence of individuals that remind you why you started blogging in the place, people who will encourage you, and tell you you are doing a great job! Make lots of du’a to constantly purify your intention, read good books for inspiration and use the stories of pious women as examples to juggle all the different roles we have as Muslim women.

Now you’re ready to pick a topic, theme and title…blog away and remember to share your first post with me! If you have been motivated to start writing or are already blogging, share your inspirations and links below!

Sumaira Zaheer holds a degree in Strategic Management and Organization from the University of Alberta, and is the blessed mother of three active children. Sumaira is also a passionate blogger at www.TheMuslimahMommy.com, where she shares her experinces, tips, and advice on pregnancy through parenthood, in addition to posts on Islamic parenting and Islamic inspiration. You can also find The Muslimah Mommy on Instagram (@TheMuslimahMommy) and on Facebook (The Muslimah Mommy).

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The Productivity Triangle

I would like to introduce you today to 3 powerful elements of productivity. These are the cornerstone of productivity without which one cannot be productive, and here they are:

1. Knowledge
2. Action
3. Consistency

I call this the Productivity Triangle, and if all 3 element meet in a person, he/she becomes truly productive. But if one element is missing that’s when unproductivity kicks in.

So how do these 3 elements work?

Knowledge

وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا say, “O my Lord! advance me in knowledge (Taha, Chapter #20, Verse #114)

It all starts with knowledge. Understanding what you need to do, and how to do it. One of the top reasons for people to procrastinate on a project or task is that they do not know how to do it. And they are worried to approach this learning curve out of fear that they may never understand how to do it.

Here’s some good news though: Knowledge can be attained in a number of ways, and I’ve yet to meet someone who has put their mind onto something and failed to gain knowledge in that area. But the key factor here is action, you need to put effort in to gaining knowledge.

Here are top tips to gaining knowledge:

1. Research online/offline:

Al-hamdulillah, the information world is in our finger tips these days and this is a blessing of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) upon us all. I’ve found myself if I lack knowledge in a field, I would firstly go to the Library and pick as many books on the topic as I can, I’ll read some of them and scan through others, then I’ll research online or listen to further audiobooks/podcast on the topic and within a few weeks/months, that knowledge gap would be filled with the permission of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala)

2. Ask an expert/Someone who has done it before:

If there’s something new you need to learn, then know that there’s a teacher out there who’s ready to share his/her knowledge with you. And trust me, no matter how “important” this person is, you’d be surprised how they would love to pass their knowledge to you. Approaching them through associates or friends can be a good start, or a direct e-mail and cold calling can sometimes work. The most important thing is to be persistent until you get what you need from them.

3. Make dua:

Knowledge is a blessing of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) upon you, and it’s enlightening. So if you’re stuck or find yourself not knowing much about a subject and really need to learn about it, ask Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) for help and try some of the above methods to gain what you desire. A word of caution here: Make sure you seek beneficial knowledge, that is knowledge that will be beneficial to you either in this world, or hereafter, or both preferrably!

Action

The value of knowledge without action is zilch! In fact, this brings about the wrath of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) – may Allah protect us. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) described those who had the knowledge but did little action as “those who incurred His anger” in the opening chapter of the Quran. So let’s not be one of them.

But here’s an important point: in one hand we need to remember that we must take action upon the knowledge that we learnt in order to be productive, but we have to understand here that Action/Ability or Skill comes from Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) first and foremost, since without his permission you can’t do anything. That’s why again in the opening chapter we say: “You alone we worship and You alone we seek help from”. So we want to worship Him, but we can’t worship Him without His permission, and this is true servitude to Allah.

When you realise that everything you do, you’re doing it with the permission of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), you’ll be humble in your approach, will seek perfection in all your actions, and you’ll be sincere in what you do.

Also, action starts with you taking the first step. Again, those of us who procrastinate, here’s a killer-productivity technique: Start working on a project/task for just 10 minutes and watch yourself drift to 30-45 minutes. Give yourself a 5 minute break and then start again for ‘just’ 10 minutes. I always say that our ‘nafs’ and self is like a baby, and we have to treat it that way; a bit of encouragement, a bit of scolding, a bit of prize and it’ll get a long just fine.

Consistency

So, you’ve gained the knowledge, you’ve taken action and after a few days, you flop. You can’t be bothered and you’re not productive anymore. 90% of the productivity complaints is regarding consistency. People normally have no issue in gaining knowledge or taking action, but being consistent that’s when they find it hard.

I’ll admit, this is the hardest stage and there’s no easy answer, but here are some helpful advice:

1. Start small and grow slow

It’s tempting when you’re super excited about a project to jump into it with BIG action and BIG tasks only to find yourself overwhelemed a few days after. Why not start small, build small, and grow slowly over the years? Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said that the most beloved actions to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) are those that are consistent even if they are small.

2. Break it down

Some of the reasons why it’s hard to become consistent in your action is because the action is HUGE or takes a number of tasks to achieve. Try breaking it down and see if there’s better ways of doing it: can you eliminate some steps? Can you delegate some parts?. As the Chinese proverb goes: A journey of 1000 miles starts with one step. My only addition to this is: KEEP WALKING!

3. Check your Intentions

Sometimes when you fail to be consistent on a project, it might be a sign that perhaps your intentions are not pure and sincere. For example, if you’ve tried many times to memorize the Quran and failed, check your hearth, check your intention, who are you doing it for. Normally, when our intentions are pure and when our goals are bigger than ourselves, it’s easier to be consistent inshaAllah.

4. Ask Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) for help

I swear upon the One who created me and you, you cannot be consistent in any task, project, endeavour you’re in  except by His permission. So ask Allah for help in all your matters and ask Him to that He makes you consistent. Most importantly, ask Him to be consistent in your Deen and religion, so that you’re constantly worshipping Him to the best of your ability and improving yourself and those around you.

I hope you found this article beneficial. Can you find practical examples of how Knowledge-Action-Consistency made you productive?

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Islam & Productivity, TopicsConsistency, Procrastination, Productivity Techniques, Productivity Triangle

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