Working from home, then anyone knows an imperfect space, whether that means chattering family members, frigid temps or an uncomfortable chair, can ruin your mood and make your productivity nosedive. Luckily, there’s plenty of small things you can do to improve your workspace-to encourage a productive and happy day working from home.

Choose Furniture Wisely. 

If you have the option, choose furniture with rounded rather than sharp edges—this is linked with positive emotions, and can help boost creativity.

Lighten Up. 

When deciding a location for your home office desk, most of us all too often overlook lighting, which can actually have a huge impact on productivity and wellness. Bad lighting, for example, can contribute to eyestrain, headaches and fatigue. Natural lighting is best.

If that’s not a possibility, consider installing full-spectrum or compact fluorescent light bulbs that simulate daylight. Also, if possible, choose a workspace that allows you to alter the lighting to best suit the task at hand. This can be accomplished simply, with a mixture of overhead and desk lighting options. A small desk lamp, for example, can create a cozy glow on dreary or rainy days

Colour Matters.

The link between colour and mood has been well studied, so choose your work area colours wisely. For example, green is linked to creative thinking and is associated with growth, while blue is one of the most productive colours and has been shown to have a calming effect. Pink also can have a calming effect, while red can produce a (short-lived) burst of energy. 

It’s only Natural.

Just because you are stuck at home doing work doesn’t mean you have to be entirely cut off from the natural world. Invest in a green plant; ferns and spider plants do well with little light. As a side bonus, having natural elements in your workspace has been shown to decrease stress.

Smart Scents.

Much like colour, scent also can impact your mood and productivity.  Working from your home office, consider using aromatherapy to fuel a productive day. Some recommended scents include pine (increases alertness), cinnamon (increases focus), citrus (invigorates) and lavender (relaxes).

Noise Control.

If you’re surrounded with talkative family members or boisterous kids, make sure to have a pair of headphones on hand, and use white-noise sites, such as simplynoise.com, to block out anything impeding your focus. If you’re working at home alone and desire a little background noise (complete silence can be just as distracting as too much chatter!), consider streaming recitation, classical music or checking out coffitivity.com, which mimics the ambient noises of a coffee shop ( it will bring back the memories).

Warm vs. Cold.

Temperature is another factor that can have a huge impact on productivity. Although conventional thinking says that colder is better, newer research recommends the opposite. 

When workers are comfortable (which usually means a temperature a few degrees warmer than what most offices are set at), workers are more focused and make fewer typing errors.

Breathe Deep.

Poor air quality can make you prone to illness and bring about headaches. Make sure air filters are regularly changed, and, if possible, open windows and doors on pleasant days to get fresh air flowing. A plant also can help purify the air and remove mould and bacteria.

Mother

She used to say I was her special project, and the love she gave me made me feel special and secure, even though she has left this world I still feel she is with me.
My mother’s name is Nafeesa Akbar Khan and I will never forget the day she left the world on 18th May 2008, it was devastating for me as we were very close. Every mother loves their child, but the love my mother gave me was inexplicable. She used to wait until I got home so she could eat with me. She use to press my legs when I came home and if I told her it was my duty to press her instead of her pressing me, she use to say let me do this, it makes me feel good. My siblings often said that in our mother’s eyes “Junaid bhai came first and then us”.
When I first got married I told my wife that my only request was that if she didn’t mind that I ate dinner with my mother, as she still loves to sit with me and feed me even though I was a grown man. I told her that I could have married anyone, but my mother chose her to be my life partner and therefore she should allow me this request. My wife agreed to this.

“Every mother loves their child, but the love my mother gave me was inexplicable”

I don’t ever remember disobeying my mother, we had a special bond. When she died I had already left music and was on the path of dawah. I was in Toronto giving a lecture, when I was told that my mother had died just before Fajr prayers. It took me a year to recover and it was then that I realised the wisdom of Muslims burying their dead and visiting their graves as it helps the healing process. I visit her grave often and feel a sense of peace to be near her. I can never forget her face brightening up every time I went to see her and saying “kya haal heh ummah” and she would smile and hug me. Even when I was a grown- up she would make me sit on her lap like I use to when I was small and I would worry in case I hurt her with my weight, but she would continue to hold me saying I was part of her being.

Sister

My sister is called Muniza Javed Khan she is a wonderful person and sister. She is one of the most intelligent woman I know and we are very close. We were three brothers and one sister, so she grew up like a tom boy as we included her in all our games; she played cricket and other sports with us. She was always a daddy’s girl and very close to my father.

I remember when I was at university studying engineering she helped me to pass my advanced mathematics course. She is highly intelligent upright honest and has wonderful children whom she has brought up admirably. She is a renowned scholar now and we are all still very close and I am very proud of her.

Wife

My wife Ayesha is a great life partner; she holds the fort while I am away from the home. She takes care of the house and has raised the children well. She also takes great care of my dad who lives with us. She took great care of my mother especially near the end when my mother was quite ill. I always say to her I am sure Allah has forgiven her sins because of the way she looked after my mother. After my mother’s death I though the extended family would fall apart, but it didn’t happen like that as my wife made sure that everyone continued to meet and stay attached to each other, she is also very close with my sister, they both are friends. Our house is the focal point for all family gatherings. She has stood by me through life’s up and downs and is the best life partner I could have wished for. Even though I travel a lot when I am home I make sure I spend quality time with the family.

Daughter

Photos: Mobin Ansari

Daughters are always precious to their fathers and my daughter is one of my weak points. I remember one day one of my friends had tears in his eyes because his daughter was getting married. I asked him why he was crying, and he said something I will never forget, he said wait till Zahra grows up then you will know why I have tears in my eyes. Today Zahra is 17 years old and grown up into an intelligent lady, like her aunty. She also has inherited my mother’s good looks and personality. I have told her that when she becomes 18 she has a right to mother her old dad. I often laugh because I am sure the first thing she may end up doing when she is 18 is to curtail my activities, especially travelling.

“I have told her that when she becomes 18 she has a right to mother her old dad”

In recent decades, Muslim marriage practices in the West have evolved and changed considerably, especially when it comes to arranged marriage. Today, most second- and third-generation British Muslims, particularly women, pursue higher education, resulting in increased independence of thought and action. The days are long gone when matchmakers and gossipy aunts were adamant that a Muslim man should wed a less educated women, yet recent research has shown that many educated British Muslim women are experiencing difficulties in attracting suitable partners.
Although the end goal for marriage has remained the same—everyone wants to be happy and experience a loving, caring relationship—the order of events has shifted a bit. Whereas previous generations expected love to come after a successful arranged marriage, today’s women are seeking to fall in love before they marry or at the very least meet their prospective partner beforehand. Today’s relationships establish a connection, then get into the important life details—how much does he earn? Does he want to live with his parents or in his own place? How many children does he want?
One example of how modern women often approach marriage today can be found in Massoma, a professional lawyer and a practicing Muslim in her mid-30s. She’s been searching for a marriage partner since her early 20s and has rejected many suitors who were educated and held professional jobs. Many of them she refused after meeting them in a halal environment or after a few meetings, all because she didn’t feel that she connected with them. This elusive connection, which her friends interpreted as “butterflies in her stomach,” has not yet happened, and so Massoma is still searching.
Today, most women of all backgrounds want not only a marriage partner, but also someone who is a friend and companion. Many Muslim women have a difficult task achieving this—many do not want a groom from their parents’ country but rather desire a partner who has been brought up in the West and is therefore culturally compatible.
But it’s not just living in the West that has liberated these women and led them to demand equal partnership in marriage versus the traditional male-dominant relationship. Most of them also are well versed in the quran and hadith and can point out many examples of how the Prophet (s) not only carried out his duties outside the home but also helped his wives with household chores and was always supportive and fair.
As the task to find a suitable life partner becomes more of a struggle, matrimonial websites have blossomed and are particularly popular with younger men and women. Although these sites have brought about some successful unions, there also have been reported complaints about disastrous or awkward encounters.
With all the struggles, there are also many success stories which give a hope to those who seek a potential partner.
Saverah Women Team meets some young married women in U.K. and explores how they met their partners.

Whereas previous generations expected love to come after a successful arranged marriage, today’s women are seeking to fall in love before they marry or at the very least meet their prospective partner beforehand.

Saima Bhatt, married to Nadeem Khan

“My first marriage was to a distant relative back home who had been introduced to me by my parents. It started as a happy marriage and he was kind and considerate, but it later emerged that he had been having an affair. This devastated me, and I decided to end my 15-year-old marriage. I left my job and started a new career and kept myself socially active. While I was in the process of piecing my life together, I went on a charity trek in Scotland, and I met Nadeem, who also had been recently divorced. We got on really well, became good friends, and then Nadeem popped the question. I was so happy to have found someone I had a lot in common with. Now we are happily married and have a son.”
Come out of your comfort
zone & keep socially active
 

Saleha Imam, married to Imran Shareef

“I met Imran at university, where I got to know him a bit more as a friend. Even though I liked him, I never thought I would end up marrying him. They do say that destiny plays a part, and in our case it did. We ended up working in the same place, and it was at work where we resumed our friendship and I realised I had feelings for him. I approached him with a marriage proposal. Imran was always the shy type, and it took him some time to decide. We are happily married now, and have three kids.”

Sometimes you may have
zone & to take the first step

 

Farina Sardar, married to Kareem Altaf

“After university, my parents put on the pressure to get married. It was at my new job where I met Kareem—he was in another department. He would make excuses to come to my department so he could see me, and soon we became friends. However, he had already made it clear he was looking to marry. He proposed to me, and I told him I had to first consult my parents. Today, we are happily married and still working in the same company.”

Workplace – keep your
doors opened.
 

Ayesha Dani, married to Kamran Ahmed

“After a first marriage that didn’t go well, I was left as a single woman with a 1-year-old daughter. I went back to live with my parents and moved on bringing up my daughter. It was through my family that I met Kamran. He was from Pakistan and we instantly liked each other. Our families were very happy, and encouraged us to get married. Kamran moved to the U.K., and we got married in a small ceremony surrounded by our family and friends. We are happily married and have a son who is greatly loved, especially by his older sister.”

Parents & family friends can
introduce potential partners.
 

Layla Hassan, married to Hayder Ali

“I saw him at college when I was 17 years old. I liked him, so I asked my friend to find out more about him, but he was not responsive and was rather shy, although he liked to act tough. Soon he left to move to another college, and I thought I would never meet him again. When I was in my last year at university, I was having a religious discussion on Facebook with some friends, and I started chatting to Hayder, not knowing he was the same boy I met a few years ago. When he posted his picture, I suddenly realised who he was. We eventually became friends, as he was very knowledgeable about Islam and I was always asking questions. He told me he was interested in getting married and didn’t believe in having girlfriends. We met each other’s parents and then got married in a small family ceremony. We are both very happy and plan to have many kids.”

Social media (using it in a
right and safe way)

 

“I met Imran at university, where I got to know him a bit more as a friend. Even though I liked him, I never thought I would end up marrying him.”

Saira Hakim, married to Kahn Bahadur

“At the age of 20 my father had introduced me to a man he found in a marriage advert. Initially I had no interest in this proposal as I had feelings for my classmate, but had no courage to face my parent’s anger. In a few days, my marriage was arranged, and I was forced to marry the man he had chosen.
Initially I was not happy in the marriage as I did find it difficult to accept my husband and vice versa. However, as time passed I grew to love him and my husband showed the same warmth. Hearts changed and things got better. It is said Allah works in mysterious ways, which is true, because today I have a blissful life, a doting husband and lovely kids. We have a successful business, and get to travel frequently.”
Have trust in the higher
authority and give people a chance.