Another approach i've seen used to great effect: Beg/borrow/steal/rent a really long extension ladder. Pad the feet and top cross bar as not to ding either deck or mast. tie the feet in place, so they can't skitter out from under you. The ladder need not be vertical, then again, with a safety tether, it need not be angled out too far either. Wear a harness and tail yourself up the ladder on a halyard. Tie off the top of the ladder to the mast. Go on to merrily climb up and down all day, as you continue to remember what little bit of tool/rigging/wiring/odd-sized cotter pin you've inevitably left below.
Obviously impractical for taller masts (only seen this on <36' boats), as well as for most masthead work. Great for fiddly wiring at those all-too-often faulty foredeck/steaming light units, or anything else close to spreader height.
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