Shruti Verma, 45, couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but she felt a gnawing tiredness throughout her waking hours last year. The computer analyst from New Delhi was eating healthily, taking her vitamins and even sleeping well, but her chores-packed life gave her a feeling of “not being in control”.
“I was proud of my multitasking skills – eating meals, checking my email, responding to a text, watching the news and talking to my spouse all at the same time. My two teenage kids called me 'superwoman'. I was. Until my head exploded.”
I was programmed to think multitasking will help me accomplish more. But it was ruinous for my health
Shruti Verma,
computer analyst and mum of two
Verma was hospitalised last year for chronic fatigue, after which doctors advised her to slow down and see a wellness counsellor. The latter’s prescription was simple: “Try doing one thing at a time.”
“It wasn’t easy to begin with,” says Verma, “because I always felt there’s so much to do; how will things get done one at a time? Besides, I was programmed to think multitasking will help me accomplish more. But it was ruinous for my health.”
Over three months, Verma says she forced herself to switch to “monotasking” – the art of doing one thing at a time, as well taking short breaks throughout the day to sip green tea, chat to a colleague, tune into some soothing music and occasionally do nothing at all. “The change felt like mini meditations in a still action-packed day and helped me take charge of my life,” she says.
Multitasking compromises the quality of your work while robbing you of the joy of savouring your achievements
Sneha Malhotra,
wellness counsellor
The pandemic has been challenging for all, but especially so for working mothers who suddenly found they had too many plates spinning at the same time. With limited domestic help, children kept home from school, a homebound spouse and their own professional commitments, many felt at once overworked yet underproductive if they weren’t multitasking.
Despite such exigencies, however, doctors have been increasingly advocating the perils of multitasking. “It is not only a health hazard, but also compromises the quality of your work while robbing you of the joy of savouring your achievements or intimate moments with family,” says Sneha Malhotra, a wellness counsellor from Mumbai. “While multitaskers claim to initially get a dopamine rush from their high productivity, in reality multitasking splits our focus and gives us a false sense of accomplishment.”
I was trying to be everywhere and do everything perfectly ... and there was a continuous feeling of being overwhelmed
Komal Seth,
businesswoman
Malhotra says she has had many clients complaining of burnout owing to a constant switching between tasks while working from home. “We forget there’s a price attached to this mental task-switching,” she says. The prefrontal cortex, which allows humans to concentrate, Malhotra explains, has to switch between rules and goals because our brain can’t do two things at once. As a result, she says, “multitasking releases stress hormones and adrenalin, which can trigger long-term ailments if not controlled”.
The case is more severe for women who spread themselves too thin by constantly flitting between household chores, caregiving needs and professional commitments. This is exactly what Komal Seth, founder of travel PR company Linkin Reps in Delhi, went through last year.
“Before Covid, I was travelling non-stop for work as well as managing my company, employees and home. I was trying to be everywhere and do everything perfectly and I could see how it was wearing me down. My shoulders and back were constantly strained, and there was a continuous feeling of being overwhelmed.”
However, when travel came to a grinding halt and Seth started working from home, she began doing things at her own pace organically and the results were extremely rewarding. “I found myself experiencing life fully in each moment, and with more calm and focus than ever before. I also experienced higher satisfaction in accomplishing each task and the quality of my work was so much better. I’ve since switched to monotasking,” she says.
Monotasking is also backed by science. A study titled Media Multitaskers Pay Mental Price, published as far back as 2014 by Stanford University professors, found that the human brain is engineered to focus on one thing at a time. Another 2014 study, published in the Understanding and Preventing Suicide collection of peer-reviewed journal Plos One found that multitasking could whittle down grey matter density in parts of the brain, and that multitaskers may have less grey matter in their brain than monotaskers. The findings emphasise up to 40 per cent of productivity is lost when we multitask because it takes more time and we keep making mistakes ranging from small typos to major oversights. Psychologists call this loss of productivity “switching cost”.
Going further back, to 2012, a research paper by cognitive scientist David Meyer from Michigan University demonstrated that humans have distinct bandwidth challenges that can make multitasking “problematic”. The study revealed the more we multitask, the less we accomplish.
Monotasking makes us feel less reactive to our surroundings and helps us to choose how to respond
Dr Prateek Parikh,
cognitive expert
Additionally, doctors explain that while it seems multitasking is the ticket to fast-tracking work, you may actually be taking longer to complete tasks because of “constant context-switching, which can trigger brain shrinkage and short-term memory loss”, says Malhotra.
On the contrary, monotasking – as the act of mindfully focusing on one thing and being fully present – helps you feel more centred. More therapists are introducing their clients to activities such as “pause rituals”, “mindful tasking” and an “immersive work mode” to tackle multitasking-related fatigue.
“The first step is to recognise that multitasking is highly overrated. Practical results and countless studies prove this amply,” says Dr Prateek Parikh, a cognitive expert at Max Hospital in New Delhi.
To monotask effectively, the physician recommends that you decide on two tasks that absolutely have to get done over the span of a day. Commit a 20-minute block of time to a single activity, task or project by setting an alarm so you can concentrate. Reduce external distractions, such as noise and excess lighting. Choose a clean and quiet room with soft lighting, adding noise-cancelling headgear or playing music through your headphones to improve your focus and productivity. “You will automatically witness an improvement in the quality of your work and your own well-being,” Parikh suggests.
This approach to work, he says, is akin to mindfulness, which advocates staying with a single object of awareness for a period of time to train the mind to focus. “This also makes us feel less reactive to our surroundings and helps us to choose how to respond.”
As musical genius Mozart put it: “The shorter way to do many things is to only do one thing at a time.”
The%20Letter%20Writer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Layla%20Kaylif%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eslam%20Al%20Kawarit%2C%20Rosy%20McEwen%2C%20Muhammad%20Amir%20Nawaz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ABU%20DHABI%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3E5pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Al%20Rabi%20Tower%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C400%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E5.30pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Championship%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(PA)%20Dh180%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6.30pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hili%20Tower%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7pm%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%20Arabian%20Derby%20%E2%80%93%20Prestige%20(PA)%20Dh150%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.30pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Championship%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(TB)%20Dh380%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Brandt%20Andersen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Sy%2C%20Jason%20Beghe%2C%20Angeliki%20Papoulia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Napoleon
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Ridley%20Scott%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Joaquin%20Phoenix%2C%20Vanessa%20Kirby%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SupplyVan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2029%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MRO%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
More on Quran memorisation:
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
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.”
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
