Nikola Kukoljac, Vice President of Solution Architecture at Help AG sits with Gulf News and points out through his life stories, rich experiences, brutal learnings and un-learnings over the course of decades, maybe life doesn’t have to be such a rat race.
Reflecting, recalibrating, and resetting
For Kukoljac reflection is an annual ritual. He tries to get his days off, disconnect, and later systematically go through his phone to see what he’s done, and he would like to change. His approach is gentle rather than punishing: micro-steps, not reinvention. “A couple of years ago, I realised planning is important to be successful, and I don’t push myself too much,” he says.
Kukoljac recognises that self-care is less about indulgence and more about maintenance. He doesn’t pretend to be perfect at it.
He creates small routines, and some of them doggo-centric. As he cheerfully says, he has the best dog in the world, and sometimes as most of us dog-lovers agree, that’s all you need. “What calms me down is sitting with her,” he says. Apart from this furry stress-buster, he enjoys his walks. “As the internet never lies, I try to do 10k steps.”
‘Controlled chaos’
Balancing it all, is always a work in progress. “I love my job. So, when you love something, it’s not difficult to do. I have long working hours but I do love working with people. I love travelling, too. It doesn’t utilise energy as I think. So I develop a concept of ‘micro sleeps’, taxi, car or plane. This is the idea, not a lot of planning but controlled chaos.”
Looking for emotional clarity and focus
Kukoljac has his own mechanism for emotional clarity at work. “If an email upsets me, I do not work for 3–5 minutes… I cool down. If I am in meetings, rarely can people make me upset… I maintain clarity by saying I will come back to you.” It’s a skill that took years to cultivate, especially for someone who describes himself as “naturally hot-tempered.”
Planning ahead without burning out
Structure without suffocation, ambition without depletion.
Kukoljac frames his planning as optimistic realism. “Every year will be better than the previous, and better doesn’t mean more money. It could mean kids or dogs, more time with the family.”
His biggest lesson mirrors the quiet wisdom that threads across all stories: “It’s not a race. You can achieve a lot, but also in micro steps, without burning yourself out.”
Click here to read the full article: The Dubai trailblazer mindset for 2026: How to win beyond the rat race without burnout
