Are you excited yet?
I know. Just what you always wanted-- a blow-by-blow account of what actually happens in a day for a regional orchestra exec during a pandemic. One of the many great things about being a free-born citizen of the United States is that you don't have to read this.
5:30 AM
My eyes open and I immediately have anxiety about whether its still 3:00 AM and is it really time to get up yet or do I need to try to go back to sleep? A glance at my phone allays my fears.
5:45 AM
My first sip of coffee is my favorite moment of the day. I scroll and read and read and sip. I check and respond to several emails and make a list for myself of things not to forget. If I'm lucky there won't be any emails about broken links or balance sheet/cash flow discrepancies or people who can't find the Zoom link anywhere.
This is the part where I should work out or meditate. Instead, I continue writing emails until it's clear I have to get in the shower or I won't be made up and dressed in time for my 7:30 AM finance committee meeting.
6:45 AM
If I had stressful emails and I need to think calming thoughts, I listen to Thich Nhat Hanh while putting on my make-up and drinking more coffee. There is a talk of his on YouTube that has changed my life called "Feeding the Hungry Ghosts." I also love Tara Brach and the Smartless podcast, which my friend Laura recommended.
I aim to be in front of my screen at my dining room table no later than 15 minutes before the finance committee meeting to make sure the PDFs are downloaded of the financial reports and to respond to any texts about tech problems or not being able to find the link, etc. Someday, I will have an assistant who can do this, I tell myself. I'll just be able to show up to the Zoom and know what all the numbers in all the cells mean. But not today. Not now. Now, I'm a combination of tech support and administrative assistant. Until something goes wrong. Then, I'm the boss.
I love finance committee, and the meeting goes well-- I'm prepared to answer the questions and there is enough money in the operating accounts to make payroll the next time we have to cut checks. After over a year on the job, I am still working to understand the way the numbers come together in our particular system of accounting, and still putting the pieces together from the last couple of leadership changes. The stress I feel when looking at some of these reports is the reason wine is a big part of my life, but working on cash flow and the budget process is one of my favorite things about my job. Probably because it feels like control and predictability. Having two hours a week with our accounting person one point five hours of which is spent on writing checks and reconciling isn't nearly enough, but we'll get there.
9:30 AM
I've spent an hour responding to emails from my staff (working remotely requires even more email than ever before and frankly, I'm drowning in it). My husband Joe walks by my work area (the dining room table) on his way to the kitchen and reminds me I have to stop working at 3:30 if I started at 7:30. I laugh.
Now its time for a 1:1 call with a member of the staff. Having been a personnel manager in a former life, I am obsessively on time, and people always know I'm not okay if I'm late.
11:00 AM
Since I finished up my last call, I've called two donors to follow up. I love this part of my job so much. Spending time thanking and getting to know the people who support our orchestra is so uplifting because I feel a kinship with them. We understand why music is important and that's the most remarkable bond. Music changed you? It changed me too! To have an orchestra is like having a precious jewel: you want to keep it safe and show it off at the same time. Our JSO family understands that and I am so honored to work with them and talk about the power of music every day as my job.
At 11:00, I call our music director for our 1:1. We discuss what's coming up, talk about the board meeting, and how best to collaboratively approach various artistic initiatives. I'm handling all marketing, promotions, tech contractors, and sponsorships/funders. He handles the vision and content. It's fun work and I really enjoy it, but I often (every day) feel overwhelmed and unable to meet my own standards. When I do get tired, it's because of constantly having to choose between something being to my standards and it actually happening. I lose a piece of my soul every time it goes in the direction of the latter. Note to self: raise enough money to hire more people.
12:00 Noon
I stop and take a half-hour walk. Yes, I've been wearing leggings all day. All I had to do was change tops from my meeting top to my walking top. I eat.