Beating Burnout

Salaam Minara Family,

Pretty sure we’re all a little bit privy to the wonderful phenomena of goal burnout…

[and if there’s anyone who has no idea what we’re talking about and just loves goal setting, gets those goals achieved and never wavers - well, we have nothing to say except GASP! 😝 and please share some of the energy - alhamdulillah!]

We can describe goal burnout as a misalignment between values, intentions and actions. It isn’t that you don’t really want those things, it’s just that your reality isn’t being catered for.

With Ramadan right around the corner, it seems sensible to take a little look at our goals again.

You might even think us a little mad actually - who isn’t excited about in sha Allah meeting this newer or better version of themselves come Ramadan right?

But it’s also most definitely normal to not ‘feel’ your goals anymore or start drowning under the pressure of the expectations you’ve set yourself.

If you’ve eaten one biscuit - well you might as well eat them all now.

Just kidding. Don’t do that.

Jokes aside, you’ve set goals for Ramadan. Most of those goals may be the same as last year’s but this time you think you’re really going to achieve them despite the fact that burnout was real too last year.

Enter: intentions

Yep - we’re going to have a little think about intention-setting to help us align our vision with our realities so that when Ramadan does end, its impact is still fruitful and ever-lasting.

As @petals_of_faith [Instagram] said so eloquently:

Ramadan will leave but what it plants in your heart doesn’t have to 🪴.

What happens once I’ve achieved this goal - what’s next? If I don’t get this done, I’m such a failure! Why try anyway - I'm never going to get there! Might as well give up now.

These are the kind of haunting, intrusive thoughts we want to exorcise from the process of growing and reflecting.

Step numero uno: hit the rewind button. ⏪

Yep - that’s the rewind button on your set goals. Let’s gently put them to the side. We aren’t ejecting them. We just need to make room for them.

Friends, this is where we first make space for intentions.

An intention reflects a mindset or desire driven by personal values, influencing the way we approach an action. It’s more abstract and adaptable, focused on the journey rather than a specific result. A goal is something to strive for within a set timeframe. It provides structure, direction, and specific steps.

While intentions shape how we engage with a task, goals clarify the outcome we aim for, giving our journey focus and purpose.

Let’s explore this in practice:

Intention for Ramadan 2025: connection

"I intend to dedicate myself to reading the Qur'an each day during Ramadan, with the goal of deepening my connection with its message and seeking spiritual growth." This intention focuses on the purpose behind the act, spiritual enrichment and consistency. It’s about cultivating the habit and mindset of devotion.

Now we can re-introduce the concept of goal-setting.

Goal: "I aim to complete reciting the entire Qur'an during Ramadan by reading a certain number of pages each day." This goal has a clear, measurable outcome - a defined target to reach by the end of the month, such as reading 10 pages per day to finish in 30 days.

The intention nurtures your heart and commitment, while the goal is the marker for your intention.

It’s like going on a hiking trail- you set your intention to be present, and notice the beauty of the world around you: the unassuming sentience of the plants and the unexpected vistas that delight you at every turn. Even if rain and clouds unexpectedly roll in and thwart you from reaching the hilltop, your intention to enjoy nature can still be realized.

If you are focused solely on the goal of reaching the summit - and the weather prevents this - you return home feeling defeated. But focused on being fully present means you can return home content with the fulfilment of your intention.

Set your intention first - what do you want out of Ramadan 2025?

Then combine your intention with goals and you exit the month of Ramadan as a person who has enjoyed the journey, as much as the destination.

And now we can talk a little about making your goals stick! 🔻

1. Set your intention. Themes could include connection [relationship with Allah, Qur’an, dhikr etc.]; compassion [charity, neighbours, yourself, patience etc]; moderation [cutting down on bad habits, food waste, eating less etc.]; commitment [making good salah habits; dhikr; Qur’an, reducing screen time etc.].

2. Break the intention down into small actionable goals. Your intention is compassion? Goals might include things like donating a fixed amount every day to charities of your choice, cooking a few iftar meals or taking food to the masjid.

3. Reflect on your goals: prioritise, modify and delete. Trying to memorise an entire chapter when you only have a few surahs committed to memory is probably not your best idea!

4. Now make a daily to-do list where you pencil into your Ramadan calendar when you might complete your actionable steps from stages two and three. You might even choose to compose a different list for weekdays and weekends. Be really specific here - goal is to read the entire Qur’an once in the month of Ramadan? Schedule in the number of pages you will have to read at different points in the day to achieve this. 4 pages after Fajr, 2 after Dhuhr etc.

5. Emergency alert! What to do in the case of an emergency? Have a ‘makeup’ time in your day so that you are consistently working towards your intention and do not feel overwhelmed at the prospect of missing something.

6. During Ramadan, don’t fear the prospect of revising your daily plan. Manipulate it so it always works for you!

7. Be resourceful and creative to make your goals work for you. You want to stay consistent with your five prayers, including the ones at work. Keep your prayer clothes and mat with you. You want to commit to connecting with the Qur'an and stop listening to music. Delete all your tracks off your device, compile a list of your favourite reciters and limit your social media time using the restrict feature on your phone.

8. Accountability: try and hold yourself accountable in some way! Perhaps you have a jar to fill with sadaqah money every time you do something [or not] that works against your goals and intention. Or you ask your friend to message you and ask you if you’ve done what you said you would. You could reward yourself too at the end of set periods because you’ve stayed consistent. Reinforcement is necessary especially when the initial zeal starts to wither.

9. Remember we talked about intentions needing reflection? Well yep here is the crunch time! Designate some portion of the evening to monitor and evaluate your progress. This will enable you to adjust, modify or just give yourself a pep talk if necessary!

10. As is always the way, ending with some recommendation of du’as to seek Allah’s assistance in traversing the road-map of your intentions❣️

See section below for compiled du’as.

See you next Friday friends in sha Allah 💜,

The Minara Team