Invisible Forces that Shape our Day

The Power of Routines

Welcome to our drive time discussion. This week, we’re exploring something fascinating — the invisible forces that shape our day without us even realising it. Today, we begin with The Power of Routines.

Think about your morning from the moment you wake up until you leave the house. You probably didn’t decide every single action. You didn’t stand there thinking, “Should I brush my teeth before or after I make coffee?” You just did it. That’s a routine at work.

Routines are like railway tracks for the soul. Once they’re laid down, our days run smoothly without constant decision-making. And in Islam, this is actually deeply connected to the concept of barakah — blessing in time and energy.

Allah ﷻ created the universe with order. The sun rises at its appointed time. The moon follows its measured course. The seasons change in rhythm. Even the angels worship in established routines. So when we, as human beings, build good routines, we are aligning ourselves with the natural order that Allah designed.

Consider the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. His life was full of beautiful, consistent routines. He ﷺ had a morning routine of dua upon waking, using the miswak, praying tahajjud before Fajr, then offering two rak’ahs of Fajr sunnah before the fardh. He didn’t wake up each morning wondering what to do next. The routine carried him into worship and productivity.

And here’s the invisible part — routines save us from decision fatigue. Every time you make a choice, you use a small amount of mental energy. If you had to decide every tiny thing from scratch — “How do I put on my shoes? Left first or right? Do I tie them now or later?” — you’d be exhausted before breakfast.

Routines automate the small things so your mind is free for the big things: your family, your work, your worship, your character.

But not all routines are helpful. Some run on autopilot in the wrong direction. For example, the routine of picking up your phone the second you wake up and scrolling through social media. That routine doesn’t serve you. It fills your mind with noise before you’ve even said Bismillah. Or the routine of complaining about Monday mornings every single week — that routine trains your brain toward negativity.

The scholars of Islam have always emphasised mujahada — spiritual discipline. Imam al-Ghazali (rahimahullah) spoke about how the soul resists change, but consistent small actions reshape the heart. A routine is just a small action repeated until it becomes part of you.

So here’s the invisible force: once a routine is established, it runs without your permission. That can work for you or against you. The key is to intentionally design your routines, not just let them happen.

Ask yourself this week:

• What is the first thing I do every morning?
• What is the last thing I do before sleep?
• Are those routines drawing me closer to Allah or further away?

The great thing about routines is that they’re made of small actions — and small actions, done consistently, become mountains of good deeds. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if they are small.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

So tomorrow morning, try this: Before you check your phone, before you turn on the radio — pause. Say Bismillah. Make a conscious choice. Even that tiny break in the routine is the beginning of taking back control.

Because the invisible force of routine is powerful — but with intention, we can point it in the right direction.