I read an interesting article the other day on how one can get ahead in one’s career without doing anything, except for a bit of self-promotion. Tonnes of self-help books are however, published every year on how to make a mark in your working life. They generally expound on the fact that it is hard work, dedication, knowledge, integrity, eating a sandwich at your desk and working late when everyone has gone home, that do the trick.

Wake up earlier than everyone else, said one expert. The extra hour or even 30 minutes more gives you that extra edge to prepare for your workday while the world sleeps, he said. I am not going to talk any more about this because my battle with the alarm clock has been long and bitter, even before some moronic guy invented the snooze button.

I remember the time when I first brought the newfangled clock and told my wife: “This one may finally work. It has a snooze button.” I explained to her that when the alarm rings I can shut it off and it will ring again after 15 minutes. “I will wake up refreshed after that extra sleep time,” I told her, and for some reason she was trying to cover her face and not laugh.

I read in a specialised magazine that another torturer invented an alarm clock for people like you and me, that rings loudly, rolls off the bedside table, goes somewhere, and rings loudly for some time and again rolls merrily away. The inventor must have thought that if you were chasing an alarm clock under your bed, it would wake you up real good and get you off to a cheery start to the day!

Even Woody Allen, the Oscar-winning Hollywood director who has existential problems, got into the act, and expounded about life and work and said that “80 per cent of success in life is showing up”.

I spent days trying to decipher the wise words behind this, but failed. “He’s a famous personality and he must know what he is talking about.” Then I thought that maybe he means the time I promised to meet someone and then ignored his calls after I felt it was a bad idea to battle the traffic this late in the day. Once I did get to work early and spent the rest of the morning on Facebook and thinking what take-away to order for lunch. Dubai is multicultural and the cuisine is so deliciously diverse someone said once, and I wondered why I was having beef shawarma or chicken sandwiches all the time.

Anyway, the report that caught my eye was on this Dubai-based expert who reportedly brought out a book on how to get ahead with his technique of “minimal input’ for “maximum gain”.

The world has changed, according to him, and anyone can use the technique and rise to the top regardless of personal background and work performance.

However, be aware that it does not work in any workplace situation, he says. The professions where this will work are where “technical skills and innovation are secondary”, meaning that it is a workplace where everyone is just plodding along and where results are not linked to productivity or efficiency, according to the author.

He believes that many companies are quick to put the blame on you, so it would be a better idea to avoid taking any decisions. “It is a better career strategy than taking on responsibility and leading initiatives,” he says.

He says that when it is done right, your contribution will not be questioned and it will be impossible to gauge your value to the organisation.

I hope this information was useful and wish you all the best in your career.

Mahmood Saberi is a freelance journalist based in Dubai. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@mahmood_saberi