For a multi-task juggler like me, it can be challenging to get all my goals set for the day accomplished without unintentionally overlooking one or two.
Part of my job scope is to supervise different projects at any one time, in addition to running my small business and my writing career on the side.
All three aspects of my life require great attention to detail and promptness. Time is literally money in my case.
There were times when I was about to doze off on my bed after a long exhausting day when I remembered failing to email a client or finalise an article draft. But that was back in April, before my checklist era dawned.
It was because of the need to pay attention to details and ensure high-quality results that I rediscovered something I had forgotten since my school days, when I had a tonne of homework to finish - checklists.
Checklists are what drive most of my work's productivity and keep me focused on my goals. It is ironic in a way, as humans are initially driven by a need to feel accomplishment that comes from some place back in our primal days.
What I do every morning is write down a list of things that need to be accomplished throughout the day: from sending out emails, conducting meetings and reminding myself to exercise.
Checking tasks off your list not only brings you a great sense of accomplishment but also declutters your mind for creative thinking.
Many tasks on my daily list are repetitive. So every time I compose a checklist of a repetitive series of tasks I am providing myself with extra mind space to think about bigger issues and any creative ideas that might benefit my job/business.
What I also found beneficial is that checklists back me up in future projects. How so? Allow me to walk you through: I was managing a project for work that involved redesigning our corporate website.
Every day when I arrived at the office I would write down the list of tasks to be done for the day regarding the website. Because of that, I was able to go back to my list if I wondered about a certain task and knew exactly what day I worked on it. More so as hiccups occurred along the way until the execution of that project, I now know how to avoid similar future problems.
In his book The Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande talks about how more and more organisations are using checklists in their daily routines. He discusses how they worked amazingly well in saving lives in surgery centres and in huge construction projects. One of the great examples provided in the book is of a Michigan hospital where using a cleanliness checklist in intensive care units eliminated a type of deadly infection.
In my case, I have two kinds of checklists you might consider to improve your own productivity level at work or in your personal life: category A, which is related to personal tasks and category B, which is profession-related.
Fitness goals and mundane tasks would go into category A and anything related to my work would fall under category B. That way I would not confuse the two, making referring back to certain tasks easier.
I am a retro kind of girl and still use my leather-bound notebook and pen to write down my lists. But for tech-savvy individuals there are several electronic checklist programs.
Do - www.do.com - is one of the top programs in its field. It helps users to create different projects and track different tasks. Users can also share their checklists with others by joining various groups. The program can also be managed via mobile phone. Other helpful mobile apps include Todo by Appigo, Checklist and Daily.
Sometimes the hardest part of a job or business is remembering to keep tabs on everything that needs to be done for the day.
It is easy to find yourself distracted by other things and you wind up failing to accomplish your goals for the day. This could harm your income, productivity and reputation.
Having something as simple as a pen and a notepad is sometimes what you need.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati fashion designer and writer. You can follow her on Twitter: @manar_alhinai
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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.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
