"We're running out of time!" If you were ever gripped by the on-screen exploits of Jack Bauer in the television action series 24, you'll be used to hearing that statement, almost always uttered by Kiefer Sutherland as he's trying to rescue a hostage, prevent the president from being assassinated or avert a nuclear catastrophe. To be fair to the fictional counter-terrorism agent, he wasn't exactly wasting away his days playing World of Warcraft or watching Netflix series, so his time management skills can't really be called into question. What about the rest of us, though, battling away in real life?
Susan Castle has lived in the UAE since 2002 and worked as a broadcaster, motivational speaker, life coach and corporate whip-snapper, training people to better their lives. On time management, she says: "There's no such thing – it's a myth. We cannot manage time, only priorities." That short statement makes a great deal of sense. None of us can do anything to alter or impact the march of time, all we can do is spend however much of it we have wisely.
There are many positives that result from better managing our time. Sorry, priorities. "The biggest thing is reducing stress and increasing productivity," Castle says. "It also has a massive impact on our relationships when people aren't constantly letting each other down and complaining about it. Of course, reducing stress impacts on everything that matters – health, wealth, relationships – and that's as true in family life as it is in the workplace."
Prioritising at work
What are the most common mistakes Castle sees when it comes to priorities at work? “The biggest problem is leadership – or lack of,” she says. “Who is leading a project? Who is responsible for making sure deadlines are met and what are the consequences if they are not met? Who has this information and how good are they at sharing it?
“These are the fundamentals. Communication is another area that usually needs addressing. If people don’t talk to each other about where they are on a task, then it’s really hard to prioritise. If staff aren’t aware of the priorities, they will act on the biggest, shiniest, loudest thing instead of what actually needs doing.”
Castle says that asking for help when you’re running behind with things is often overlooked and then getting stressed about having to catch up normally makes us work more slowly. “We should be realistic. We’ve all done it – we think a task will take us an hour but the last three times we’ve done it, it’s taken four. Your team won’t be impressed with you if you constantly let them down because you’ve tried to impress them with how fast you can perform, or how massive a workload you can take on.
“Be flexible, too. Things happen, priorities change; we have to be responsive and sometimes we have to be reactive. Knowing what your priorities are means you can be more flexible and still get things done. Not knowing means you are constantly jumping around, reacting to the person who’s shouting loudest at you.”
The consequences of missing a deadline can be disastrous and financially crippling, as many a civil engineering company would testify. And on jobs where timing is critical, open and effective communication is paramount. “I use a technique called Timelining,” adds Castle, “where we map out a whole project on a calendar and put all the timescales and deadlines in. It’s amazing how often we get to the end of this exercise and discover that either we’ve allocated far too much time to a project or, more seriously, our deadlines are impossible. What this also shows is where the critical deadlines are and the consequences of missing them, and this really helps in prioritisation.”
Rules to follow
This is all well and good, of course, but to help us be better organised there are some golden rules we can and should apply to our everyday lives. One of these is setting boundaries with others who might unwittingly delay us. In today's open-plan offices it's not as simple as putting a "do not disturb" sign on the door, so if a colleague comes up for a chat or has a request when you're battling to meet a deadline, politely explain that you don't have the spare time right now.
A never-ending deluge of emails, texts and other electronic disturbances can be the bane of modern life. So avoid having Facebook open and only check messages at specific times of day, giving yourself an allocated amount of time to respond to anything that's absolutely essential.
“Another good one is to write everything down,” says Castle, “or put it in the diary. You think you will remember things but you won’t. Keep communication open and constant – if you are going to miss a deadline let people know as soon as you know.”
Marilyn Monroe once said that she’d “been on a calendar but never on time” – a quote that might raise a smile when we read it, but, when you work or live with someone who is persistently late, it quickly becomes a drag and, potentially, a deal breaker. “Being late,” Castle points out, “is really bad manners. You are basically telling people your time is more important than theirs.”
Don't procrastinate
Another thing to keep in mind is that procrastination is the thief of time. "What's the point in putting off something at work, if you can get it done today?" asks Karen Braun, a freelance HR consultant in Dubai. "When we procrastinate, thinking that 'oh, it'll be OK, I have plenty of time to do that tomorrow,' we're potentially heading for a fall. What if something unexpected crops up, something urgent? We might then find time is far too tight to do what we could have done, at least partially, yesterday."
She says that if we are able, we should start work scheduled for tomorrow before calling it a day today. "The more we get done midweek, the less stressed we'll be at the end of it. Who knows? By getting into the habit of maximising your work time, you might get to finish early on a Thursday – a perfect start to anyone's weekend," Braun adds.
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It’s perhaps natural to apply this advice in our workplaces and forget the potential benefits of structure within the home, particularly for those of us who are parents. When you’re trying to get out of the house with even one child, it can be a staggeringly complex task – one that, once a youngster is old enough, they can help with a great deal. And that does everyone a favour, because they’ll be set up for life with a healthy awareness of how their actions affect others.
“When we tell the children that we’re leaving in 10 minutes, they shouldn’t interpret that as having extra time to play with their toys when they’ve yet to brush their teeth, put on their shoes or pack a bag,” says Braun. “Parents don’t need to be totally rigid about these things, but it does help a family in the long term when the kids do their bit by respecting certain time constraints. It’s not something many parents get to experience but imagine how much stress could be avoided if everyone was ready to go when they’re supposed to be.” Never has a truer word been spoken.
“I always used to think priority management would make life really boring and lack spontaneity,” Castle adds. “In reality the reverse is true – if you know exactly what your priorities are, you can always be focusing on what’s most important to you. Priority management frees up your whole life.”
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
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AL%20BOOM
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Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
