A friend reminded me recently how deeply annoying it is when people brag about being busy. So true. Business is not an accomplishment and if people need to complain about it too often, they should rethink their lives. My work has always been intense and I usually don’t feel any need to whine about it, but there are stretches where it does get close to my ability to handle. Currently, I’m having one of these stretches.

What I find almost as irritating as busy-bragging, is the advice you’re given on how to manage when you’re overworked. About getting enough sleep and eating healthily and using 37 illuminating products to erase the signs of tiredness. The whole thing about these times is that it’s impossible to get enough sleep and there’s no time for anything but work.

Not that I’ve got any life-changing advice to give, either, as most of it is really the serious, macro stuff: having a solid support system, someone who takes care of the kids and buys food when you are at work or at your computer and not reacting to people’s attempts to establish contact. If you are a single mother with three children, I’ve got nothing to teach you. But there are some small things I’ve learned over the years of insane hours and high stress and they are all of very practical nature.

1. Always, always have something to eat. I don’t care if it’s chocolate, eating chocolate is immeasurably better than starving. I try to keep cashew nuts and almonds available, but if I feel like having a biscuit, I will. This is not the time to start a diet, this is the time to survive.
2. Do not experiment. Stress, biscuits (see above) and lack of sleep do horrible things to skin. Do not try to fix it overnight with this wonderful product you just bought. Chances are it’ll all go horribly wrong, as you’re much more likely to have a reaction than usual. Just try to find the energy for cleansing and then have one reliable, non-irritating product to moisturise. The main objective is not to make it worse, things will improve as soon as the stress and biscuits are over.
3. Pick your battles. When you fall into bed at 2AM and have to get back up at 7AM, make-up is not a priority – at least for me. Mostly, I just don’t do anything and look awful. But if you can spare a moment or two, pick one thing that will help you the most: for some it’s mascara, for others lipstick or blush. For me, it’s always the skin, so I’ll have a proper foundation at hand that’ll cover the non-perfect skin and also help with the glow (my go-to is YSL Touche Eclat).
4. Have stand-by outfits. I like to be creative with my clothes, but not now. You have to have something you feel comfortable in and requires no thinking. For me, it’s a shift dress (one item = outfit) when I need to be presentable and jeans and a blazer when I can get away with it. And flats. I’ve got heels under my desk, if I really need them.
5. Get your office survival kit sorted now. You’ll have no time for this when it hits the fan. I’ll do a separate post on my kit one of these days, but tights and tampons, painkillers, nail polish/make-up remover, antistatic, hairspray and a hydrating spray are all good to have. As is perfume. And biscuits.
6. Know your suppliers. Make sure you know where to get decent coffee very early in the morning and something to eat very late in the evening. I try not to go overboard with caffeine or carbs, but this is not the time to wean oneself off either (see also point 1).
7. No alcohol. I love a G&T and it is tempting to have one after a stressful day, but when I’m tired and stretched, it will ultimately make things worse. So, find a way to relax that does not involve alcohol. For me, it’s reading. Even if I get to bed very, very late, I tend to read at least a couple of pages, simply to get my mind off work and have something nice to think about. Or I’ll stare at expensive skincare at Cult Beauty. Also works.
8. Prepare. If you know in advance that bad times are coming, tidy your desk and your inbox, so that you have no baggage from the past to make things worse. Make sure you have enough clean clothes to last you a week. Pluck your eyebrows, colour your hair, have a pedicure.

This is a very personal list, for my particular circumstances, nothing of this may be relevant for you. What I mostly want to say is: if you’re having tough times at work, I feel you. I will not tell you to ‘simply get more sleep’. I know how it is.