Dubai ruler reveals his secret: How to have an 84-hour day

Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was asked an intriguing question at a session during the World Government Summit this week.

Al Arabiya General Manager Turki Aldakhil asked Sheikh Mohammed how he manages to remain active, hold meetings, inspect government facilities, ride horses, travel to other emirates and spend time with civilians and his family all in one day.

“Sheikh Mohammed, how do you turn 24 hours into 84 hours?”

The Dubai ruler replied: "In the UAE, if the day was 84 hours, we would have built four cities like Dubai. In fact, we would have two UAEs!” he quipped.

On a serious note, he stressed that “time management is very important. We have to organize our time by making rooms for physical activity and meditation."

He then addressed the audience, which included Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and said: “Brother Mohammed, I will say something that you also know well. Success is 50% (on you) while the other 50% is the failure of your rivals and enemies.”

The World Government Summit is an annual meet focusing on how governments can handle a changing world. Topics such as globalization, technology, extremism and nuclear energy are the main talking points.

As many as 4,000 delegates and 150 speakers from 139 countries are attending the two-day summit which began on Sunday.