http://dailypuppy.com/index.php?itemid=1155 (Barley the Labrador should read below!)

How To Pull An All Nighter Without Falling to Pieces
By Mia Paluzzi (From Little Robot Studios), The Queen of All Nighters

We’ve all been there. Something in the schedule gets overcrowded, work has piled up and a deadline is suddenly too close for comfort. (I.E The next morning…) Without an extension the option many of us turn to are the dreaded all night work sessions.

These are neither healthy nor should they be attempted often, but, every now and then, they are necessary evils for comic production. Here are ten important tips for when that terrible all nighter must happen:

1. Don’t stress. Ok, so everything is due first thing tomorrow morning and you still have a laundry list of work that needs to get done. Take a deep breath and force yourself to focus. Freaking out will only waste valuable time and energy.

2. Schedule your time by ease of assignment. Organize your night schedule by how long it will take you to complete each task. Get the easy small stuff out of the way first and then move onto the bigger things that will be more time consuming. Finishing the small stuff up front will take at least some of the worry off your mind and as a bonus, it clears some of the work needing to be finished off your desk.

3. Skip the Coffee. Caffeine consumption seems like a good idea, but is probably the worst things to indulge in during an all nighter. You’ll crash after an hour or so and chances are you’ll wind up with a mild case of the shakes. This means endless frustration if you’re up inking or coloring.

4. Drink Lots of Water. In place of coffee, drink lots and lots of water and or sports drinks. They’ll keep you hydrated and alert without the nasty side effects.

5. Eat something! No, not snacky foods. Go for the good stuff and munch on an apple, veggies or whole grain crackers. You need to keep your energy up and it’s easy to go 8-10 hours at night without thinking about eating. Keep your body fueled so it can keep going.

6.. Take a 5 minute break every hour: Five minutes won’t kill you. Stand up, walk around your studio a bit and stretch. It’ll get your blood flowing again and break up the tediousness of a long work session that can lead to unwanted sleepiness.

7. Put on energetic music, books on tape, or movies. I never work without some kind of upbeat media playing in the background. It’ll keep your mind active and listening which will help fend off tiredness and keep you focused on work. Avoid movies if you can’t keep yourself from watching them. They’re only helpful if your work is getting done!

8. When necessary, resort to the cold water treatment. Inevitably, if you aren’t used to pulling all nighters regularly, sleepiness will creep up on you at some point in the early hours of the morning. Head to the nearest sink, run a washcloth under the coldest water you can get and scrub your face with it. It’s only a temporary fix, but it’ll snap you out of that sleepy moment.

9. Don’t work near your bed! This is good practice whether you’re pulling an all nighter or not. You should not be drawing in the same room as your bed. The temptation to take a little nap is too great and long term; many artists claim it messes up their sleep schedule.

10. As soon as you can, get some rest. Remember, the all nighter won’t last forever. As soon as all the work is finished, put yourself to bed. The sooner you can put yourself back on your old sleep schedule the better.

The most important thing to remember about all nighters is that they should be infrequent and only used as a last resort. If you’re having to pull them consistently, you need to schedule your time better during the day.