Please read The Dubai Gallivanting Chronicles Begin… for context
In short, I relocated to Dubai in Q2 of 2025 (April – June). This was the start of my second leg in Efficio’s global rotation programme. A fresh start. If the reputation of Dubai was anything to go by, this would be a spectacular next step in my career.
Far from it, Dubai has been harder to acclimatise to compared to Riyadh – a big shock I had to accept. The career quest has remained productive, but I had gone missing on the personal side of life.
Ain Dubai
Let us explore how I got here…
Disconnected from Dubai – Moving to Dubai was initially a thrill before the hard realities of work-life balancing set in. I was consistently in and out of Dubai, and so it felt unfamiliar even two months after relocating.
A fading routine – In keeping with high expectations, I traded my non-work needs to focus on a demanding career. This was meant to be temporary, to help me settle in quicker as I build towards my status quo routine. Temporary became permanent, time flashed by and next thing I realised – all my non-work needs were suffocating – gym, content creation, meal preps, etc – quickly fading into the background.
Chasing the sands of time – Time speeds up in Riyadh, there is an urgency in the fabric of life. This time effect also exists in Dubai, except much faster than Riyadh. Dubai is an extreme combination of hustle and pace. Morning starts calmly, but in a blink of an eye, it becomes evening and morning again. The cycle repeats, you keep hanging on, and there you are in the chase. The time effect in Dubai has weakened my routine and kept me disconnected.
Month by month, Q2 became a lost cause. I had to build new routines to motivate me to hit my 2025 resolutions. Enter, Q3, with new hopes and potential. Being aware of my challenges in Q2, I sat and asked myself – what will give me a better handle of being grounded, being present in my personal life, with the right motivations to stick to my new routine in Dubai? Perhaps what worked in Riyadh will not work in Dubai, how can I then adapt to my new scenarios?
Adapting to new scenarios…
I’ve picked three things to help me adapt to my new scenarios. These are practical elements I’ve learnt and practiced over the last few years through my career and performance-focused YouTube channel – Championship Mode Collective.
Be more present in Dubai – take a step back from the jet setting, from family and friends to have more focused time in Dubai. A hard ask but it has to be done. A routine needs time and consistency to build.
Views from Efficio Dubai office
Build my network at Efficio Dubai – move from purely work goals to include networking goals every opportunity I’m in the office. This involves more interactions with my colleagues, and investing time into learning their personalities and experiences. In essence, building a mutual support system where we support each other’s needs.
Make my routine non-negotiable – as much as I love my work and I push hard naturally, I need to balance this sufficiently with hitting my non-work needs. I’ve practiced a few foundational habits over the last weeks, hoping these can easily build and transfer confidence across all areas of my life.
- Movement and recovery – at least 3x gym sessions weekly. Movement burns energy but raises your positivity and supplements your energy reserves with more consistent practice. Beyond that, movement helps me control and manage my stress levels, my favourite benefit
- Nutrition – at least 2x cooked meals daily. My weakest habit of the bunch. The idea here is to reduce processed food intake. Cooked meals are healthier and more nutritious, giving your body the right ingredients to sustain itself
- Mindset – at least two hours of self development such as soft skills training, reading, career planning, etc. The habit most open to interpretation and various practice options. There are multitudes of tools dedicated to mindset. Do research online and practice what works for you
- Sleep – at least six hours of sleep daily (the first habit that slips from my routine). I’ve had to set strict boundaries for myself to make this achievable
- Creativity – dedicate travel time to feeding your creativity, free thinking, life planning, blogging (as I write this article on my way to Dar es Salaam), etc. Nothing creates clarity like putting your phone on flight mode and blocking off your streaming apps to create an uninterrupted focus mode. This is open to your interpretation, make it fun, enjoyable, and keep it simple
Refer to the Nike Trained podcast if you would like to deep dive into the five facets of fitness (excludes creativity)
In situations where you need to adapt to new environments or build routines, always solution broadly and narrow down to what you genuinely want to try out. Choose elements that are familiar but can also push you out of your comfort zone.
For example, I’m introverted to conserve energy for my non-work needs. This frequently makes work socialising difficult for me. In this instance, it’s my responsibility to find the right level of social connection without depleting my social energy. A good tug between comfortable and uncomfortable zones.
Q3 has been kind to me, I’ve been able to build positive momentum that balances professional and personal life. My end goal is to apply these lessons learnt to keep the same energy in Q4, without reverting back to my habits in Q2.
Learn the skill of balancing change…
Whenever you face changeable situations, remember to consider your progress over longer time periods rather than short sprints. Here’s how you can keep balance across the many changeable circumstances in your professional career and personal life:
- Experiment with your life – explore and practice new habits that might be required to adapt to new scenarios
- Change is constant, embrace it – lean into the changeables where possible – for example building new relationships, exploring a new city, commuting with colleagues. Although difficult, this can open new opportunities in your life
- Manage your own expectations – change your effort and goals to match the situation; this flexibility reduces pressure and keeps you grounded in reality. Use your judgement to change the focus of your goals without easing up on them. Self discipline is key here
- Prioritise your non-work needs – Life requires meaning beyond career ambition. Even if your career ambition gives you enough meaning, define non-work needs that generate purpose and meaning for your personal life. Plan to integrate these needs into your personal and professional lives
Change is a consistent feature of life. Learning to manage yourself through change is difficult but immensely rewarding. Do not neglect it, do not underestimate your capacity for it. Continuously practice and strengthen your resilience. Take inspiration from my perspective or find alternative tools that work best for you.
The Consulting Diaries continues in Dar es Salaam. Stay tuned…
Keep tuning in to The Consulting Diaries on Championship Mode Collective to learn how to embrace and manage change as a consultant. Stay in Championship Mode. Follow Championship Mode Collective on YouTube and Instagram to help grow the reach of this blog.
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