When I was in the army, they gave us a pickaxe and sent us to dig a hole. In fireteam partners (FTP), one of us kept watch while the other dug, and we traded off as required. I don't remember how long it took. We dug until we could stand and just see out from the ground. Cheats; my FTP and I were both under 5'5. That hole wasn't as deep as some people had to make theirs. It didn't fill any less with water. The night frost was still cold. The waking nausea of sleep dep still made it feel like we were at sea. We ended up digging more, making spaces for our feet, and digging steps, just to stay awake and warm. 

The query trenches. Ah, yes. I understand these even less. No matter how quick and hard one swings the figurative pickaxe at the ground, a full ms can take a hundred plus days for review, someone may have signed that other same genre author one week before you, and staying awake is tempting, but sure doesn't help.

In the army, you can hate the team that keeps falling asleep and increases the load for the section, but you need them to succeed. You really need them to succeed. The query trenches don't. People aren't angrily waking you up and throwing expired kitkats at you for the hit of force and sugar; people are running independently in the same direction. It's an active choice to reach out and build one another up, or to silently watch the stumbling. I have found nice communities and places for updates. And, I have found my own way of digging in. Everyone has tips, tricks, and guides. Not everyone is the same height, though. Finding out what is digging your stairs is a personal journey.  

If it makes anyone feel better, digging a frozen hole with a pickaxe sounds more relaxing than ignoring my emails, even just a few weeks back. Eventually, the thing that makes it tolerable, a good neighbour or tall grass that makes the floor seem softer, shows up. If it doesn't - may your night in the trench be short, or may it be less brutal next go around.