1. Plan your day around prayer, not prayer around your day

In today’s world, where everything is so fast paced, it is extremely easy to get caught up in a web of activities and lose track of time. Thankfully, we have a good idea of exactly what time the five calls to prayer are each day, and once we can figure out a way to schedule our day’s tasks around our prayers, then we set ourselves up for success. No missed prayers, and a guaranteed reset and refocusing period is built into your day. Whether it’s a meeting, appointments, kids’ activities, house chores–most of these tasks can be scheduled with prayer in mind. Put Allah first. 

2. Pick a spot or two in the home for consistency

When you have a dedicated corner or area of the house that you pray in, it can aid in maintaining the consistency. You aren’t trying to find a spot to pray, you know where it is, and when it’s time that’s where you go. It also lets everyone else in the house take it as such and can often aid you in praying together (which is #3). Making this nook serene, peaceful, cozy and inviting will encourage you to look forward to the prayer times and hasten you towards it.

3. Pray together when you can 

Pray with family members when you can. It’s easy to get your prayers done and finished and not have to wait for your children, spouse or siblings to join you. But not only does it mean greater reward for your prayer, but it is a great act for the family to do together. As the saying goes, “the family that prays together, stays together!” We often get so caught up in our day-to-day, that we don’t spend quality time to connect with those we share a roof with. Those moments in prayer together and those that follow can be truly blessed for all in re-centering as a family. It is also a great time to share reminders and cultivate that habit in children, as they see parents and elders doing it together. It can also serve as a natural, regular gathering point and time to discuss minor issues, spend a few minutes catching up or recapping the days’ events.

4. Make an effort to pray as early as possible

Praying as early as possible is a highly encouraged act. Build this into your daily plan. Praying as early as possible eliminates the possibility of missed or rushed prayers. With our hectic schedules, it’s even easier to structure our days so that we put off the prayer until the end moments, trying to squeeze in one more thing before we break to pray., But this, in fact, decreases our productivity, whether at home or at work. The nagging pressure to pray distracts our thoughts, creates haste or diminishes our focus. Not to mention robbing the day of barakah, for the Prophetﷺ taught us that the deed dearest to Allah is “to offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 527)

5. Build your Quran & Dua’ Repository

One of the challenges we all face with prayer is a lack of concentration. When you couple that with the fact that it is such an oft-repeated act, it may be reduced to motions. In order to sustain a higher level of focus and connection in your prayer, learn some new dua’s that you can recite in various positions in prayer. Learn new surahs to make sure you are working from a larger repository for your actual Quran recitation. Not reciting the same surahs means you have to focus and lends to a sweeter prayer experience.

These are just some of several ways we can build and sustain a good prayer habit in our days. What are some of the ways you do so? Share your ideas below!

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1 In another report, the Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of deeds in the sight of Allah is salah at the beginning of its time.” (Bukhari)