There was a time I kept running in circles with my goals. I’d throw myself fully into a project—pouring in hours of work, hyper-focused on outcomes—but sooner or later, I’d burn out. I’d lose motivation. I’d fizzle out.
So I’d swing the other way: pray, make dua, trust Allah to handle it, and just do small things here and there. But that didn’t work either. Progress was slow. I’d fizzle out again.
Eventually, I learned what really moves the needle: pairing tahajjud duas with SMART goals and daily action steps. That’s when I started to see lasting progress. When I made tahajjud a consistent part of my life, not just occasionally, but truly part of my rhythm, everything else started falling into place. Anse Tamara calls it a keystone habit, and she’s right. Tahajjud steadies you. It focuses your heart. It clears the fog. And from that place, you can build.
But building still takes work. It takes consistency, even if all you have is five minutes or one tiny step. If you can only write 200 words today, that’s 200 fewer to write tomorrow. One crocheted row, one wiped-down counter, one page of Quran—it all counts. Don’t wait until you can do everything. Do the little bit you can do. It adds up.
Anse Tamara says it in Lesson 27 of her 40 Life Lessons: “Harakah barakah”—there is blessing in movement. That phrase has stayed with me. Movement, any movement, creates momentum. It lifts you out of stagnation and builds a sense of purpose, whether you’re working toward a clean house, a connected family, finishing a book, or yes, even leveling up in Duolingo. It’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about not staying still.
Even our rest can serve us better when it’s active rest, a walk, a hot drink, reading something good, rather than the kind of numbing, passive rest that leaves us feeling even more tired—doomscrolling, Netflix binges, etc. (There’s research to back this up!)
The formula that’s worked for me isn’t hustle or hustle culture. It’s tahajjud plus intention plus small, consistent effort. That’s it. Get up in the night and whisper your hopes to the One who hears. Then get up in the morning and take the next step. And the next. And the next.
Because barakah lives in motion. And with sabr and tawakkul, you will get there.
Anse Sarah Olesky, Rabata’s Development Coordinator