It is perhaps surprising that the first piece of advice from one of the world’s leading experts on how to focus is not to plan your day.
According to Les Hewitt, the founder of The Power of Focus organisation, people who start their day making to-do lists end up feeling overwhelmed by their work. “Shortly after making the list, they open their inbox and get bombarded with requests. By 4pm, they still have not done the most important things on the list. So they take work home, and then there’s a struggle between balancing work with family. ”
Last month, Mr Hewitt delivered a presentation to 30 business leaders in Dubai on the theme of focus. His Canadian organisation, founded more than 30 years ago, has created and delivered more than 900 workshops and training programmes for thousands of executives. The 68-year-old also co-authored the No 1 New York Times bestseller The Power of Focus with Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (the creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series).
Clients who sign up to his leadership training programme undertake a complete review of their traditional goal-setting methods. “Instead of planning your day, design your week”, he proposes. “It’s a completely different way to look at business.”
Mr Hewitt recommends spending 25 minutes at the start of each week to evaluate the three most important things that must be completed by the end of it. This should be aligned with three-month targets. “And that means complete – not ‘hope to finish’. Set four or five blocks of ‘focus time’ on your weekly calendar, each between one and three hours long. Focus time is really the game changer here. Most people are multitasking, which is proven not to work. I work with CEOs who are completely scattered because of their inability to focus.”
According to his company’s research, business leaders are focusing on the most important thing they need to do at their senior level between 15 per cent and 35 per cent of their time.
“That is shocking. They are spending most of their time on minimal-wage jobs when they should be spending 80 per cent of their time focused on the three things they do best that drive their business forward,” he says. “One carefully selected person as an executive assistant can free them up, if they are willing to let go.”
Mr Hewitt moved to Canada in 1974 at the age of 27 from Northern Ireland to run a haematology department of 20 people. “I was totally out of my depth, and procrastinated for three years before making the leap of faith to do something more suited to my skills.”
These days teaching others how to focus is a family affair – his wife Fran Hewitt wrote the bestselling book The Power of Focus for Women, and he co-wrote The Power of Focus for College Students with his son Andrew Hewitt.
The focus expert also coaches leaders one-on-one, setting up a three-year vision for their business to give them what he refers to as “exceptional quality of life”.
There are four distinct stages in life, according to Mr Hewitt. People are either celebrating (“things are going really well”), plateauing (“you are in a comfort zone and don’t want to push too hard to get out”), stuck (“you feel you are not going anywhere, but don’t know what direction to take”), or severely challenged (“a health or financial disaster has made you feel like you are at the bottom of a rollercoaster”.)
To attain exceptional quality of life, people need a focused plan. “If you cannot fit your plan on to one page, then it’s too complicated. I take people through a process that shows them in 20 minutes how unfocused they are, and gives them practical strategies to change. My clients go from 30 to 80 per cent focused. Their energy, confidence and momentum goes up, and that impacts on their productivity.”
Mr Hewitt strives to practise what he preaches with his own team. He sits down every Monday with them to design the week. “Each person chooses the top three things they need to complete that week, and we write these on the boardroom whiteboard. At the end of the week, we look at the board to see how we did. If everybody got three out of three that week, it is high-five time. But if we did not, it is a chance for good communication – ‘What adjustments would you like to make?’ The truth is that some weeks, the world caves in. I get zero out of three sometimes when something unexpected happens. I just wipe the slate clean, learn something from it and start afresh the next week.”
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Baniyas Group 2 (PA) Dh 97,500 (Dirt) 1,400m.
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh 85,000 (D) 2,000m
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The view from The National
