Wise management of one’s free time is not less important than the way one manages his/her working hours, if not far more instrumental- This is our Recipe 51 for Success… Your spare time is an additional chance which, if employed, and harnessed wisely, can fill in gaps of your inefficiency, whether personal or professional, and both, effectively, add up or water down your efforts to attain some optimum goals in life. Ibn ‘Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “There are two blessings which deceive many people: health and free time.” {Sahih al-Bukhari} Ok, having grasped the importance of employing your free time wisely, and having fetched its relevance to your holistic success in life, let me list 10 ways I see effective with regards to best use of spare time, which I pray would complete the success picture of yours inshaAllah. 1- Goal oriented planning (jot down in bullet points your goals in life and how you’d like to go about them- you have extra time which means better and more detailed planning, a chance you don’t get while rushing all through your weeks, days and hours.) 2- Workout! Do sport, a healthy body equals a healthy mind. 3- Invest in your spiritual being, spend more time with your Lord, your Creator, He knows all about you, so speak out your pains, dilemmas and thinking and ask Him to guide and lead you through. 4- Fill in gaps of your social inefficiency, visit members of your family you don’t get much time to see, especially your mom and dad. 5- Supererogatory acts of worship, let them be fasting, more prayers, or minor Pilgrimage to the Holy Ka’aba, they add much blessings to your time, planning, and your entire life journey- they bring you closer to your Lord, Allah (SWT) 6- Read and learn more about your goals and objectives in life- Knowledge is key to success, so make sure you have your share. 7- Spend more time with yourself and listen to your inner-self talk. 8- Reflect on your experience in life, see where and how things went right and why, and where and how they went wrong and also think “why?!” 9- Entertain yourself. Travelling to nice places and discovering natural treasures would be a good incentive. 10- Don’t forget your personal life, give it some of your time and attention. I pray Allah to beacon your each and every step towards success and shield you with His Mercy and Blessings- Amen! By: Maha Youssuf   maha@muslimtribune.org   Posted on January 16, 2012   Stay tuned for more effective recipes for Success insppired from the Quran and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (PBUH) Older recipes are to be fully uploaded soon.