(Thanks, Corona Virus)
Hi! I’ll bet you thought I burnt out on this already. I haven’t. I’ve got at least three blogs that I voiced into my phone notes during rush hour traffic stored in my iPhone waiting to be edited and posted. It was truly something that I planned to get back to this week because a break in my work/play/life schedule was just coming up over the horizon.
BUT THIS IS NOT A STORY ABOUT TIME MANAGEMENT OR PROCRASTINATION.
THIS IS THE STORY OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO CLOSE YOUR BUSINESS TO FLATTEN THE CURVE.
Last weekend, I taught an Anatomy Course to the students in the Yoga Instructor Training at our club. The week before, I had a quarterly staff meeting for my program and my son came down with a fever, just as we are all started to be really worried about COVID-19. The weekend before that, I had the graduation for my own instructor training program. Work, in general, since the beginning of the year has been…full.
All last weekend, I was thinking, I can’t wait to get back to my blog and get some of these thoughts out there. This week was supposed to be the time for me to coast a little during my work day so that I can invest some of my time after the kid goes to bed in this endeavor, which is purely a labor of love and a hobby.
However, last week, people started to cancel from their spots in our group classes. Then, all the schools closed. On Friday afternoon, the club hosted an emergency meeting expressing that we intended to stay open. People needed us at this time for their sanity and their immunity. While I was leading my workshop on Sunday, our Governor shut down the restaurants. I battened the hatches in my soul, knowing that I may soon be caught between what I thought was right and doing my best to serve in a situation that I didn’t wholeheartedly believe in.
From Sunday into Monday, I received many pleas from members and staff to cancel classes and close up shop. I assured them that I stood alongside them in my beliefs and sent their pleas along to those in the club who do decide those things. I waited. I managed every aspect of keeping people safe, distanced, and clean in my studio. I made social distancing sticks. I organized a better plan for constantly washing our handles. I designed a new layout in the group studio to keep everyone 6 feet apart at all times even with a full class. Thank god I couldn’t find anyone to help me move everything. I bought a REALLY cheap plane ticket to Seattle for the PMA, which means all of my arrangements are made for that well in advance. It feels a little weird. On Monday afternoon, we were called into a second emergency management meeting. I was nervous all afternoon because I really had no idea if the club would shut down.
Our executive director began the meeting with the big announcement at 2pm. We are going to close at 8pm on March 17th and reopen on April 1st.
In truth, I was relieved. Staying in our homes and trying to flatten the curve is the right thing to do. Even better, the club has devised a way to pay our employees very close to what they would make if they were working for the next two weeks.
I don’t know what we will be able to support after two weeks so for the LOVE OF MY STAFF STAY IN YOUR HOUSE PEOPLE!!!
With my mind spinning, I headed back to my office to devise a plan for closing down, with the best service we can give to our members. It’s just our way. In these circumstances, it means clear communication and issuing lots and lots of credits. As I tried to sort it all out at my desk, I watched all of Tuesday fall apart. I spent the rest of the afternoon making sure that everyone in the Tuesday classes knew exactly what to expect and that all of my instructors understood how we plan to move forward. I left an hour later than I had promised my husband and son….I do that way more than I would like.
Today, the club was already a ghost town in the studio. Much of the day was surreal. I was alone, in my office, overlooking a veritable ghost town. It’s usually so chatty that I have to shut my door to get anything done. I spent 8 hours entering credits for our 200+ group students individually because there was no way to batch everyone at once. We allow students to move around the schedule once they sign up for an 8 week session, so some had two classes and some had three that they needed to be refunded. Some people had already dropped so I had to research everyone to get their credits right.
My emotions faded from excitement, to worry, to fatigue, to sadness. As I typed each name, I took a moment inside to honor each of our students. Each of their unique personalities entertained my imagination. I have at least 8 years of history with most of them. Thank God for that because all of that data entry was tedious and effing boring.
I managed to get out by five. I still have a few more things to clean up in the system, but I was toast, and I can do those things from home.
I don’t know what the future will be like. I’m actually looking a little forward to the freedom from the grind. I still have some things to figure out. For instance, if those goes on past March 31st, can I find a way to have my instructors work from a digital platform? Can I motivate my instructors to make use of their time off by collaborating on some programming development and getting them to update their client notes? Will I be able to get anything done with a bored 5 year old on hand?
I’ll keep you posted. Stay safe and stay sane, friends. Thanks for giving me a read.
Please feel free to tell me all about your day. Don’t be lonely. I’m here for you.
Lisa Moves 