Article by:
Marie Jane
Offering flavours of Delhi's grand past in its most authentic form, the menu hi...
Between long commutes on Sheikh Zayed Road, back-to-back meetings across time zones, school runs, and the sheer heat that keeps errands indoors for much of the year, it's easy to feel like the to-do list never shrinks. Add in building management requests, DEWA bills, and the constant ping of delivery apps, and many residents end up putting off small tasks because the day feels too full for anything but the big items. The truth is that most of us waste small stretches of time waiting — for a lift, for traffic to move, for a delivery rider to buzz the intercom — and those minutes can be reclaimed.
Think about how often you are technically free but doing nothing. Waiting for the lift in a high-rise, sitting in traffic near a busy interchange, holding while a call centre transfers you, or standing by while the kettle boils during Ramadan iftar prep are all moments that quietly disappear. Once you start noticing them, you'll find several five and ten minute windows scattered through a typical day, even one packed with work calls and school pickups.
Rather than scrolling through your phone while you wait, use these short windows for small jobs that otherwise pile up. A minute or two is enough to wipe down a dusty windowsill, water a balcony plant, reply to a building management email, or sort through spam in your inbox. Five minutes can cover wiping down kitchen counters after a hot afternoon, checking that the air conditioning filter isn't clogged with dust, sorting mail left at the lobby desk, or scheduling a home maintenance visit. Ten minutes is enough to fold a load of laundry, change bed linen before the humidity makes everything feel damp, or tidy a kitchen drawer that has become a dumping ground for takeaway menus and spare keys.
Dubai's working week and daily rhythm offer natural pauses that can be used well. The short lull around midday prayer, the quieter hour before a delivery arrives, or the gap between finishing work calls and starting dinner are all useful for slotting in small chores instead of letting them stack up for the weekend. During Ramadan, many people find the hour before iftar is a good time to knock out a handful of five-minute tasks while food is warming, since everyone in the household is home and distractions are lower.
One advantage of living in Dubai is how much can be outsourced without much planning. Grocery runs, laundry pickups, and home cleaning can all be booked around your schedule, freeing up the bigger blocks of time for work or family. Use the small in-between minutes for tasks that genuinely need your hands — watering plants, checking on a maintenance request, tidying a room before a cleaner arrives — and let scheduled services absorb the larger, more time-consuming jobs. Combining both approaches tends to shrink the to-do list faster than tackling everything in one long session after work.
Instead of one long list that feels impossible after a hot commute or a full day indoors avoiding the sun, sort tasks by how long they take. Keep a short note on your phone with quick one, five, and ten minute jobs so that whenever you find yourself waiting — for the lift, for the kettle, for a call to connect — you have something ready to tackle. Over a week, those small wins add up to a noticeably shorter list and a lighter mental load, even on the busiest Dubai days.
Offering flavours of Delhi's grand past in its most authentic form, the menu hi...
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