Most people on WSO aspire to spend a lot of time in the office -- it's just the nature of the beast. But if your office becomes your home, for all intents and purposes, it's important to have your physical work area be one of the positives, not a negative.
It's also very important to have immediate access to many convenient things while you're sitting in your cubicle for 14 hours a day -- saving time not looking for stuff makes you just that much closer to being able to call it a night and get some shut-eye.
Investment Banking Survival Kit.
Food
Obviously if you're working late your dinner will be comped, but that's not going to prevent you from wanting to have a snack after dinner or in the very early morning. Things I like to have around for snacks include: nuts, oatmeal, granola bars, and bananas. You want to stay away from anything carb-heavy while also loading up on protein to make you feel satiated and give you a long-term energy boost.
Clothing and Related Items
Obviously this is going to depend on the culture of your office (business formal vs. business casual, etc.), but there are a few articles to keep at work irrespective of your daily attire:
A tie, an extra dress shirt folded neatly into your desk cabinet, an extra undershirt if you wear one, 1-2 pairs of extra socks, a lint-roller, pocket square, stain remover, and shoe polish. Obviously you're not polishing your shoes at work, but if you nick them against the pavement, you generally want to have something available sooner rather than later -- this can be said for most items above. I don't change socks in the office...ever...but in case I have to brave the elements and have soaked socks one day, I'd sure as hell enjoy changing into warmer ones.
Health-related items
You'll probably want to keep your supplements, if you take any, with you at work, since they generally need to be taken with food. Multivitamins, fish oil, krill oil, and extra Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D are pretty choice items to have around the office, and you can even pretend that you're taking them because you hold down a strong workout regimen, when in reality everyone knows you don't have the time.
Although most offices will have a First-Aid Kit (and are probably required to do so), one very important thing doesn't come in a First-Aid Kit: razor and shaving cream. Having one of these in the office is choice because I _routinely_ forget to shave. I am not a morning person and am always scrambling in the morning, and forgetting to shave is one of those things you'll definitely want to avoid. If you think this entire article is BS, bear with me and grab one of those $5 shaving kits from CVS -- you're welcome.
Checklist: The Banker’s Desk Essentials
Food
- Healthy snacks
- Foods with minimum carbohydrates and sugars to prevent a crash
Clothing and Grooming
- Clothes
- Pressed shirt
- Spare Tie
- Spare Socks
- Lint roller
- Tide Stick
- Shoe polish
Grooming
- Toothbrush & toothpaste
- Nail clipper
- Travel shave kit & nick stick
- Deodarant
Survivability
- Medicines
- Pain reliever
- Non - drowsy cold medicine
- Headache relief
Food
- Healthy snacks
- Foods with minimum carbohydrates and sugars to prevent a crash
Clothing and Grooming
- Clothes
- Pressed shirt
- Spare Tie
- Spare Socks
- Lint roller
- Tide Stick
- Shoe polish
Grooming
- Toothbrush & toothpaste
- Nail clipper
- Travel shave kit & nick stick
- Deodarant
Survivability
- Medicines
- Pain reliever
- Non - drowsy cold medicine
- Headache relief
Congratulations, you never have to leave the office again!
What else would you guys add to this list? What do you keep in the office for "just-in-case" scenarios? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants and keep an un-stocked 'cube???
If applicable, definitely a contact case and solution.
Also cough drops and dayquil
Drawer full of spare change - you never know when you'll need it. List of colour codes for your bank's formatting A printout of the most recent research your ER guys (or whoever the top rated team is) on your clients so that when your MD comes asking, you can hand it straight to him.
I would consider throwing a fingernail clipper in with the "health-related items."
Migraine meds. For those who get them, you know who quickly they can sneak up on you and get you completely K.O. for the better part of a day if you don't get those bad boys under control fast.
How has nobody brought up "toothbrush and toothpaste" yet? Plus floss and mouthwash.
I think #1 is poor advice, especially if you care about your physique. Eat decent meals and try not to eat for no reason in between meals. These unnecessary carb load snacks you suggested are not a good idea in my opinion. Banking is tough enough on your body, no need to add excess calories to your sedentary lifestyle.
I've got a medecine drawer with cough syrup, advil, halls, and heart burn tabs. I have my gym strip and can go to the gym if I pull an all nighter and want a shower (kudos on the razer and shaving cream). I also have a toothbrush and floss. Got some advice years ago that when you're tired and hungry, go brush your teeth, it wakes you up and you're not stuffing your face.
Toothbrush / toothpaste is key. Bad breath and yellow teeth is a poor impression to make
Thanks alot, great post!
Headphones and Tide To-Go are clutch as well. Also not a bad idea to keep an old pair of glasses in your desk in case you lose/break your primary pair (unless you have contact/solution in there already).
Small snacks are good for your physique, especially if they are healthy. I find baked granola does the trick for me.
Shaving at work is usually a bad idea unless you have VERY steady hands. Presumably, you'll have pulled one or more all-nighters, and you'll look a lot worse at the meeting with blood running down your neck than with a little bit of a shadow (obviously depends on facial hair color/growth rate). If you are going to try it, have a styptic pencil on hand and try to use a new razor cartridge.
If you do cut yourself like I used to do when i was forced to shave my neck regularly, take a tiny piece of wet toilet paper and place it over the cut and leave it there...usually within 1-2 min the bleeding will stop, so you can wait in the stall so you aren't walking around the office with little pieces of toilet paper on your neck with blood stains in the middle (hot look).
Good luck!
If you work in Houston, I would recommend keeping a spare stick of deodorant close by. The humidity brings out the worst in everyone, including your bo. This is more of an industry piece of advice, but I printed out major pieces of info like pipelines and their operators, gas and oil fields, and what companies operate where. Just a nice reference to have in the front file of your desk while you learn more about clients. Also agree with printing out the color codes for your group.
Definitely agree with the food. Snacks are essential.
All of these are great. The nail clippers are good. And as far as those go, I think you should clip your nails in the bathroom.
I'd also add Chapstick.
Also moisturizer. You'd underestimate how much moisturizer helps after an all nighter in terms of making you look presentable.
Just don't forget the cosmetics and hair gel! Bateman taught me that.
I keep a straight blade razor on my desk so I can shave whenever it is needed. Second, it scares the fuck out of anyone that wants to mess with me when I look like shit and wanting to kill the next idiot.
condoms
Xanax
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