We are moving offices (it feels like only yesterday that I last did an office move – from beautiful Avenue Matignon to crummy La Défense), so I decided to clear out my desk drawers before the crates arrive. There is a whole lot of stuff in there that should be sent for archiving or just binned, but it made me realise that I have a little mini ‘home’ in there, with everything a girl could need to fend off appearance disasters. Those drawers house my own personal office survival kit, and the items are definitely coming with me. So here are some things I don’t think any self-respecting project manager* should be without:
- Lip gloss. Much easier to apply in a hurry than lipstick.
- Sewing kit for caught hems. Also useful when the slit in your skirt gets caught on a revolving gate and tears higher than is decent. Safety pins are also good as an emergency quick-fix.
- Spare pair of tights.
- Shoe cleaner: one of those little sponges from hotels will do.
- Sore throat sweets: nothing worse than having meetings scheduled all day but not being able to speak!
- Hairbrush, for those windswept days. Extra hair accessories too, if you have long hair.
- Face blotting sheets.
- Cleaning cloth/fluid for your glasses.
- Spare bag: a folding shopper for when you go out and buy stuff at lunch times or have to take work home with you.
Hope I have enough space in my new desk for all this!
*If you have read this far, you’ll have realised this list isn’t very appropriate for male project managers. Sorry guys! Keep some painkillers in your drawer and when the women around you complain about headaches or stomach aches then you’ll be the office hero…
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