The Daily Routine That Transformed My Life (5 Must-Have Habits)

You need a daily routine.

Not just any routine, but one that aligns with your identity.

And if you believe you don’t have a routine, consider this: you might already be following one laid out by society.

One that perhaps does not align with your values or personal aspirations.

The absence of a consciously chosen routine is, in itself, a routine defined by someone else.

Society often dictates a rhythm of life which may not resonate with your beliefs or personal goals.

A routine is a playbook of how you choose to live your life.

When you don’t have your own routine,

you’re letting someone else dictate how to live your life.

And that routine is fulfilling the dreams of someone else.

The longer you wait to create a routine for yourself, the faster you’re going to spiral into a life you don’t like.

Why? Because routines are the way to success.

Think about it. Allah gave us the 5 daily prayers.

It’s a structure divinely built for humans.

“Come to prayer, come to success” the adhan calls.

Prayer opens doors to greater mindfulness, focus, and purposeful action.

The human mind craves order.

That’s why even though most of us “hate” our jobs, we don’t hate it enough to quit.

It gives us a routine.

The 5 Pillars of The Blessed Life

Embracing a multi-faceted lifestyle is the key a blessed life.

All of these spheres of life are interconnected systems that create who you are.

Implementing habits in all those realms work together to reduce the chaos in your mind.

Let me ask you something:

If you don’t have habits that nurture your mind, body, wealth, relationships, and feminine energy every single day — then what are you doing?

No, seriously.

Is there anything more important than that?

Or is everything you do now simply a way to distract yourself?

Have you considered what true enjoyment is, especially when compared to fleeting pleasure?

Allah tells us to seek lasting happiness, not temporary gratification.

Human psychology inclines us towards growth, expansion, and creativity.

Real enjoyment is found in progress — in the journey of becoming better human beings.

When you say, “I want to do what I want”, recognize that it’s your ego speaking.

It’s easy to stay in the comfort zone and resist change or improvement.

But nothing ever grows there.

The satisfaction you’ll find in this journey of self-improvement and spiritual development is far greater than any short-term pleasure.

I’m going to tell you how you can make behavioral changes to making lasting improvements in your life.

1) Craft A Vision For Your Future

Understand that goals don’t just appear.

They come from being aware of a problem.

Your perspective, shaped by your beliefs, determines what you consider important.

Check this: there are two persons with money problems.

One person is influenced by society and sees a new job as a solution.

While the other person, guided by faith and personal ambition, sees an Islamic business as an opportunity.

Both will approach the same information differently, filtering it through the own lenses of what matters most.

The first step to changing your life is to acknowledge the issues steering you towards change.

Islam teaches us to be self-aware and reflective.

Recognize your struggles — whether they’re mental, physical, financial, or relational.

This introspective work was literally the reason why I created the Timeless Journal.

Now, this might seem counterintuitive, but take a moment to contemplate the negative outcomes if you persist on your current path.

What’s the worst case scenario if you don’t make a change?

This isn’t pessimism; it’s a powerful Islamic practice of Muhasabah (self-accountability)

Then, pivot your focus. Set a vision for yourself that encompasses every aspect of your life — a vision that is not just about personal success but also about serving Allah’s purpose.

This should be a goal that motivates you and addresses the very problems you’ve identified.

Next, we’re gonna delve deeper into how self-education and skill development will close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

2) Embrace Self-Education As A Non-Negotiable

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong endeavor and can even be considered a form of worship.

Schools are important but let’s be honest — they only teach you a fraction of reality.

How many of us get out of school only to be like “how do I do my taxes” or “how do I go about buying a house”.

If you go through life without any self-education, 99% of the time you will end up with a limiting perspective like everyone else.

Self-education nurtures and expands your mind. It breeds true intelligence.

It stimulates dopamine production in your brain, providing a steady flow of energy.

It equips you with the knowledge to act with clarity and conviction toward your goals.

Overtime, continuous learning reprograms your mind to operate in innovative ways.

If you only focused your learning on creating successful businesses, you would.

Remember, we spent over 18 years being shaped by formal education and influences from family, friends, and social media.

So it’s gonna take a few years to reshape your actions and thought processes.

Don’t be delulu and think it’s gonna happen overnight.

3) Learn the Skills Necessary To Achieve Your Goals

The gap between where you are now and where you want to be is bridged by acquiring the right skills.

Skill is something you earn.

Skill is about how well you can do something.

Skill can come more naturally to some than others, but is only developed and refined through repetition.

The idea is nicely explained through the “10,000-hour rule” by Malcom Gladwell in his book “Outliers", which is originally from a study by Anders Ericsson.

Basically it says to become really good at something, you typically need to practice it for ~10,000 hours.

To do this, you need 2 things:

1. A timeblock for a self-learning: read beneficial books, watch informative videos. tune into thought-provoking podcasts, enroll courses — the aim is to gain knowledge that empowers you to take action.

2. A timeblock for practical application: take your newfound knowledge and experiment with it in real-world scenarios.

True learning comes from overcoming obstacles, not memorizing facts.

As you acquire new skills, whether for personal or professional advancement, always align them with Islamic values.

For instance:

• if you’re developing artistic skills, think about how your art can reflect the beauty of Allah’s creation and inspire positivity in others

• if you’re learning about business, consider how these skills can help you build an ethical, Shariah-compliant business that benefits society

By combining self-education with skill development, and aligning both with the teachings of Islam, you’re setting yourself up for growth in all aspects of life, drawing you nearer to Allah.

Do this consistently for the next 1-3 years and you will be amazed at how far you’ve come.

Consider documenting your journey — this can be a powerful tool for reflection and motivation.

The Daily Routine That Changed My Life

The following is a breakdown of my daily routine, along with the reasoning behind each element.

Everything I do is intentional.

Every part of my day is crafted with a purpose.

The more reasons you can give behind your actions, the easier it becomes to do and stay consistent with.

Please keep in mind that what works for me may not work for you. This routine is the result of much experimentation to find the right balance for my lifestyle

I do encourage you to take inspiration from it and adapt it to fit your own needs, especially around prayer schedule and personal commitments.

1) Before Fajr - Tahajjud, Hifdh & Adhkar

• I start my day with Tahajjud and memorization of the Qur’an (Hifdh)

• Praying Tahajjud is like an arrow that does not miss the target — it was the key for me that bridged my dreams with reality, and still continues to do so.

• Hifdh keeps my mind active and sharp. I can now memorize a page within 15-20 minutes.

• The Qur’an also brings immense barakah to my day. The more I spend time with it, the more productive I am.

• I do my Morning Adhkar (remembrances of Allah) to protect myself from devils, evil spirits, and jealousy from others.

2) Post Fajr - 30 Minute Morning Walk

• This is my time to reflect on my intentions for the day.

• Walking helps clear my mind and acts as a creative outlet for me.

• It also helps wake me up (the urge to sleep after Fajr is strong), and keeps my body in shape.

3) Morning - 4 Hours of Deep Work

• I dive straight into 4 hours of deep work, taking 5 minute breaks every 55 minutes

• This could be anything from writing, planning my day, or working on a personal project

• I make sure to work on all my high-leverage tasks during this time. There’s no better feeling than having most of your work done whilst most people are just waking up!

4) Mid-Morning to Dhuhr - Nap

• I like following the Prophetic practice of mid-day napping. It helps break up my day and provides the energy boost I need to keep going.

5) Post-Dhuhr - Workout at Home

• Depending on my cycle, I will train differently.

• Menstrual phase: I’ll do light stretching or just walk around the house.

• Follicular Phase: Moderate to intense strength training as my energy levels are rising.

• Ovulation Phase: Doing HIIT workouts as I have the most energy here.

• Luteal Phase: I mix it up with moderate cardio or lower-impact strength training as my body prepares for the next menstrual phase.

6) Afternoon - Cooking & Spending Time With Family

• This is typically when I’ll cook my meals for the day and spend time with loved ones.

• I’m currently back in New York and seeing my family after traveling for the past 3 months.

• Trying to do as much bonding and catching up as I can, who knows when I’m off again ;)

7) ‘Asr to Maghrib - Learning & Creative Hobbies

• At this point of the day, I’m pretty much clocked out of work mode. I take it nice and slow with some self-paced learning or some creative work.

• Currently I am interior decorating my parents home. Alhamdulillah they bought a new house not too long ago and still haven’t gotten around to designing the place. So more recently, I have been spending a lot of time looking at inspo on Pinterest and putting things together.

8 ) Maghrib to Isha - Winding Down, Evening Adhkar, Revision

• At this point I’m writing in my Timeless Journal, reflecting and contemplating blessings of the day. I make note of what worked and what didn’t work during the day to optimize going forward.

• I make sure I do my Evening Adkhar.

  • I once heard the more you engage in the power of dhikr, the stronger your spiritual shield becomes. So strong, in fact, that any harm intended for you doesn’t just get repelled but actually reflects back upon the source.

• This is also when I’ll revise what I’ve memorized in the morning for my Hifdh. Revision is much more important than memorizing new pages. This helps end my day on a spiritual note.

This is my routine that helps me nurture the 5 habits I mentioned earlier.

Please note that my routine isn’t set in stone. It can vary based on what’s happening in my life at the moment, but this is the basic structure I usually follow.

I hope sharing this gives you some ideas to create your own.

I’m actually quite curious to know about the routines that work well for you.

If you’re willing, I’d love to hear about them, so feel free to reply back with your experiences!

Until next time.

مع حبي (with love)

— Saufiyah ♡

P.S. if you haven’t already, join the private community I created just for us on Discord for more discussions and support all spirituality, femininity, and wealth related. It’s still kinda in construction mode but once its running, you don’t want to miss it!!

Join here: http://discord.gg/PxuX7rE5kc