I only started using bike stands this decade. Before that I always just worked on the bike upside down, with rags under the seat and bars if I was being fussy (or often just on carpet), with the bars rotated if necessary.

You can do pretty much anything you need except fine FD adjustment (gravity on the chain), and in some ways it's actually better: you can put a lot more torque into it, which can be handy when it comes to the BB. And the bike makes a good wheel truing stand this way.