Keeping Cool While Working In The Heat: Tips From The BWi Community

Can we all just agree that trying to work in this heat feels like a full-time job on its own?

Whether you work from home, in a clinic, salon, office, treatment room, spare bedroom, garden office, or from your laptop balanced dangerously on the sofa while a fan blows directly into your face – the struggle is real right now.

The BWi community started sharing their best tips for staying cool while working. Some of them were brilliant, some were hilarious, and some sounded like the UK businesswoman version of an extreme sport.

So I thought I’d pull them together into one blog because if one more person melts into their office chair this week, at least we can all suffer together 😂

First Things First… Shut The House Down

One of the most repeated tips was:

• Open the windows at night.
• Close them first thing in the morning.
• Keep curtains and blinds shut during the day.

Several members said this made a massive difference, especially if you work upstairs where it starts feeling like a conservatory by lunchtime.

Cold Flannels Have Become The Business Accessory of Summer 2026

A lot of recommendations were to put a cold flannel around:

• Around the neck
• Wrapped around ankles
• On wrists
• Behind the ears
• Across the forehead
• Basically anywhere that still feels vaguely human temperature

One member suggested running a flannel under cold water, wringing it out, and using it on the backs of ears and wrists to cool down quickly.

Another said she’s rotating between cold flannels and ice packs while trying to work.

Feet In Cold Water Seems To Be A Universal Solution

Honestly, I had no idea how many women in business currently have their feet in bowls of water under their desks.

• Some members are using cold water.
• Others are adding ice cubes.
• One suggested an actual ice bucket challenge if things get desperate.

I’m not judging because after putting washing on the line earlier, I genuinely needed a sit down, a fan, and a recovery snack.

The Holistic & Massage Therapists Are Not Okay

A lot of our members work in holistic therapies, massage, beauty, wellness, and treatment-based businesses and honestly… I do not know how you’re all surviving.

One member had just finished massaging clients and announced she was now laying in a pool of cool water.

Another shared that she starts work earlier in the day before the temperatures become unbearable.

There were also lots of votes for:

• Ice cold showers
• Air conditioning
• Large fans
• Keeping water nearby constantly
• Taking breaks between clients
• Flexible working where possible

Small Cooling Hacks That Apparently Work Wonders

Other community-approved tips included:

• Pantyliners in bras… described as a “gamechanger”
• Cold teaspoons on the forehead
• Bowls of iced water placed in front of fans
• Ice rolled into a hand towel on the back of your neck
• Feet up with a fan blasting while working from your laptop
• Ice cream on the way home as an emotional support strategy

Also… Housework Can Wait

One member summed it up perfectly:

“House work can wait.”

If you’ve managed to answer emails, keep clients happy, survive Zoom calls, and drink enough water today, I’d say that’s more than enough.

Nobody needs to be reorganising cupboards or deep cleaning in this weather.

We are all just trying our best not to become one with the furniture.

Final Thoughts From The Sweaty Businesswomen Network

The biggest thing this conversation reminded me is that everyone is struggling with this heat in one way or another.

Some people love it.
Some people absolutely hate it.
Some people are thriving.
Others are one warm email away from lying face down on kitchen tiles.

So if your productivity is a bit slower this week, that’s probably normal.

• Drink water.
• Move slower.
• Use the cold flannel.
• Buy the ice cream.
• Put your feet in a bowl under the desk.

And if all else fails, just remember, we’ll miss the sun when it’s chucking it down with rain!