Today is officially the 20th day of Ramadan in the USA. Can you believe that it’s almost over?
We’ve got only 10 days remaining to reap the good that comes with Ramadan. I’ve got some goals that I still need to accomplish and I’m hoping that posting about it will give me the accountability needed to get them done. 
Every year I look forward to Ramadan and every year I fail to plan appropriately. I always claim that I will go to every taraweeh prayer, read Quran every day and memorize one dua per night.
I always set myself up for failure.
I’ve realized that you need to prepare and build your strength up for Ramadan throughout the year. I can’t possibly start reading the Quran daily during Ramadan if I don’t make time for it throughout the year. I can’t memorize a dua every night if I don’t have a list of which ones I want. And I won’t make it to taraweeh every night if I’m supposed to be at work by 7:30 every morning (yeah about that…I’m definitely not making it to work on time, oops )
So for the last 10 days I want to make sure I get the most benefit and set realistic goals.
Goals:
1. Focus on Dhikr and Dua
It’s said that the last 10 night’s contain the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr). Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as, “better than a thousand months” (97:3).
I’ll be making a list of personal duas to recite every night. I know I won’t be able to memorize them immediately but if I concentrate on a select few every single night then Inn Sha Allah I’ll have them memorized.
One of my favorite lecture series on dua in Ramadan
2. Pray on time and pray extra
You don’t have to pray salat every minute of your life. You just have to pray your salat properly to get the benefits.
I’m going to make sure I rotate my usage of surahs during my salat and try to pray the sunnah and fard on time. I’ll carve out 10 minutes for each salat throughout the day so that I can recharge and refresh- physically and spiritually.
3. Give Charity
Even if you give $1 a night, the reward if you catch Laylatul Qadr is as if you gave charity every night for over 83 years ( thousand nights). Isn’t that such a blessing? Any good deed done during Laylatul Qadr has a reward like you have done it for over 83 years.
I’m going to give at least $1 every night when I go to taraweeh. I’m also planning on giving my zakat now. IA!
4. Cut down on wasted time
I’ve spent the better half of this Ramadan cooking, cleaning, spending time on Facebook and Instagram and watching tv. I know how horrible it must sound because trust me, that is how horrible I feel.
So for the next 10 days and nights during Ramadan, I vow to not take part in idle talk, no more TV watching, and I will disable my social media accounts. This way I can spend more time listening to lectures, doing dikr, and staying away from idle gossip. Inn sha Allah.
5. Watch what you eat
It’s time to start training your body to get back to smaller portion sizes ( especially if you’ve been bulking up with pakoras and samosas). Keep iftar fresh and light as this will give you more energy while you pray. Make sure to keep hydrated.
I’ve been pretty bad with drinking water and I’ve fallen off the bandwagon with my diet. I’m going to make sure I drink at least 3 glasses of water at sehri and plenty more throughout the evening. I’m also going to stock up on salad, fruits and veggies and cut down on the carbs. Inn Sha Allah this will give me more energy to pray!
Find Your Noor 
