62: Managing Time in a Multi-Faceted Career

with Harriet Stubbs

Daniel Kellogg:
Today we're talking with concert pianist Harriet Stubbs, who splits her time between London, New York, L.A., and Grand Cayman. She is a recording artist with a wide variety of repertoire and projects, but also somebody who has started a music festival in Grand Cayman and Harriet has come to talk to us about time management and juggling the myriad of activities that go into carrying on that sort of life. Welcome, Harriet.

Harriet Stubbs:
Thank you very much. Very excited to be here.

Kellogg:
So before we dig really into this topic, could you just define time management.

Stubbs:
It’s a constantly evolving process, always learning, right. But I think finding the key things that need to fit into every day and how to prioritize them is, is a skill that's, you know, useful. And definitely I'm constantly learning about it.

Kellogg:
When you think about all of the activities that go into creating and sustaining the life in the arts you have, what are the basic categories of things you spend your time doing?

Stubbs:
So practice, exercise, calls, life maintenance, recording, performing, interviews, and then calls are then divided into a million different things as well, yeah.

Kellogg:
So from all of those different sort of categories, how do you organize your days?

Stubbs:
So I start my day with, you know, things that look after my wellbeing. So I'm currently learning three languages at the moment for fun so that I start the day with that. I get up at 4:45 every day, do my languages-- 

Kellogg:
So that's, that's the fun part?

Stubbs:
Yeah, that's the fun part.  

Kellogg:
Ok, great.

Stubbs:
And then I work out and then I cold-water swim wherever I am. So that's kind of like how my morning starts every day. And those are like the non-negotiables that no matter what they happen. I also do free diving breath type of timetable in that time too. So, and then, and then all of that will be finished by 8am. And then that's when the rest of the day kind of continues.

Kellogg:
Okay, so up till 8am is sort of your personal wellbeing,  

Stubbs:
Exactly.

Kellogg:
…exercise, you know, mental health.

Stubbs:

Exactly. Make a green juice, feel great.

Kellogg:
Okay, so now let's pivot. Now maybe it's 8:00. Is practice the next thing that happens or does that shift from one day to the next?

Stubbs:
In an ideal world, I would love nothing more than 8am to be my practice time because it's my best, usually.

Kellogg:
And how much time do you put towards practicing?

Stubbs:
Depends. It depends on how many programs I’m balancing, it depends on how close the concert is, and it also depends on how much I'm having to balance. But everything else will be pushed if there's a concert coming up, because that's, you know, the core most important thing of everything else.

Kellogg:
Okay. And then for the rest of the day, what fills up your day?

Stubbs:
So, in no particular order, because it's different every day – there's obviously multiple time zones involved. So London is the earliest, then New York and Cayman are the same, and then L.A. is the latest when doing it from the UK, and obviously that differs wherever I am, so it would be an earlier start if I'm in New York and it will be a much later longer day if I'm in London – but also how focused, and what type of focus I have.

Like, technical practice requires a different kind of concentration to like analytical practice or memory practice and like, you know, you're not good at all of those every day – well I'm not anyway! – so if, if my memory is on fire I’ll be like, Cool, I'm going to move this call because it's happening right now and may never happen again! And likewise, if my concentration and energy is quite low, then technical practice is really good at that time. You know, it's repetitive. It doesn't require like all of my brain cells, you know.

Or, my focus isn't brilliant for some reason at that particular time. Maybe there's something really important that's on my mind that needs to be done. So I will do that thing so my practice can have the attention it deserves.

Kellogg:
So is, is practice the most important thing that you think you do every day?

Stubbs:
Yes.

Kellogg:
And do you prioritize that above all other activities or does that shift where it fits in the day, whether it's the most important task of the day or the second most important task?

Stubbs:
My stuff that I do before my day starts, like my exercise and my self-care, is my number one priority above everything else, because if there’s no me, then nothing else happens.

And it's really easy for that to get lost if I'm traveling. So no matter where I am in the world, like it happens at 6:15am every day, that's when it happens and it helps me to adjust to the time zone too. But it also like sets me up to be my best. I'm going to be better for everything else I do. So there is nothing that will stop these things from happening. I like to have my routine be something that cannot be changed, and so if I say to myself that practice has to be at 8:00am every day, then I'm dropping my routine because somewhere isn’t available to practice. And I'm very regimented about it because I kind of have to be. So therefore I have to tell myself it's flexible so that I’m sticking to it.

Kellogg:
Okay, so the practice time is flexible.

Stubbs:
Yeah. And, and 3 to 4 hours in an ideal world is like my favorite amount of practice. Really. Like, if everything's going well, that’s it. But it can be more depending on how the practice was, how many things you're juggling, etc..

Kellogg:
And I imagine part of what you're doing during practice time is analyzing how it's going,

Stubbs:
Yes

Kellogg:
…so that you're adjusting course. Oh, I really need more on this work or that didn't go well. Let me figure out what else I can do now to get done what I need to get done.

Stubbs:
And stop when it's not happening!

Kellogg:
Yeah? Okay.

Stubbs:
Because it's not going to start happening. I don't find, like-- if you've really reached the end of your kind of capacity to really focus, you're wasting time, I think. Quality over quantity, right? Is the ideal, and... but it doesn't always happen like that sometimes it needs be 6 hours because 2 hours weren't great or you know, you need to do, or you've got a concert and something, or memory is taking forever, that can mean that too, or balancing lots of programs... You can feel like you've done hardly any practice because you got so many things that you're juggling at the same time, you know,

Kellogg:
All right, so now let's go after the practice time. If in a normal day, maybe you wrap things up by noon-- You shared earlier, there's a wide array of, of work to be done. There's social media. There's sort of, sort of networking and keeping relationships alive. There's a whole lot of business correspondence.

Stubbs:
So much.

Kellogg:
Talk to us about how you juggle the other components of not only sustaining a performing career but also being somebody that started a festival and produces it every year.

Stubbs:
Sure. I think there's different levels of priority and they're different types of focus, and I will try and align whatever I'm doing best in that moment, like if I know that I'm feeling really good, things are going really well, then I'll send my most important emails because I'm in the right mindset and they're going to go well. Or if I'm playing really well, I don't want to do anything else, obviously. Right? And if that's not going quite right, then that thankfully leaves a larger window of opportunity to do the myriad of other things that need to be done. But you still have to show up to play every day, whether you're feeling like it or not. And then if it's not happening, it's not happening, but at least you were there. It’s not going to happen if you're not there, right?

I have teaching, I have my podcast, I then have all of the different components of the Cayman festival and then I have all the different components of running my music career and all of those are intertwined because the relationships are intertwined. But-- and then social media as well, which is time consuming, if you do it properly and it's constantly changing and evolving and keeping on top of that. And then there's like sort of artist development time, which, you know, trying to keep that a part of your life, to continue to grow and learn as a human being and as a musician is, is, it's really hard, you know, like reading, going to concerts, going to see exhibitions, knowing what's happening culturally, film, and everything else. It's so important and it inspires you and it keeps you relevant, but so hard when you're trying to do all the other stuff as well.

Kellogg:
It's wonderful to hear that you actually put that in its own category, artist development. Something that certainly talking to young musicians, they don't always think about how important it is to simply go to concerts or to get out to an art exhibit or to read something. But as you move through life, it's become something essential for you.

Stubbs:
I think it is. And also like we're all we're all trying to have a career in the arts, so we know how important it is that people show up for us. We've got to show up for each other. I mean 

Kellogg:
That's beautiful. That's great to hear. So talk about the juggling of correspondence calls, networking, relationships, the way you described it a minute ago just sounds like it's this big cloud of activity.

Stubbs:
Yes!

Kellogg:
It absorbs hours every day?

Stubbs:
It does. And I definitely don't stop my correspondence until-- like, by the time it's sort of 9:45-10pm, that's, that's my-- I'm still sending emails. And then I'll like fall asleep probably in the next kind of hour after that, when I've got nothing, nothing left to kind of do it. But, but then there's different, you know, there's-- I never round email anyone. I don't believe in it. I hate it when people do it to me and I don't do it. And it's very time consuming.

Kellogg:
Say that expression again, you never what?

Stubbs:
I never send like, email blasts.

Kellogg:
Oh, you don't do a newsletter?

Stubbs:
No, I don't like it.

Kellogg:
All right.

Stubbs:
I don't like receiving them. I don't feel like anyone made the effort to write it for me. And I make an effort to write for someone else. Yes, there'll be a similar content in a certain group of emails that I'll be sending, right? But I always send it individually. I'll always put something personal in to let that person know that it was written for them and that I haven't just sent it...

Kellogg:
That's so interesting. So you might take the kind of updates and just letting people know what's going on in your life that would go into a newsletter but tweak it a little bit differently for each person you're emailing?

Stubbs:
And there's different things that I want to engage with them about. Otherwise it's not a relationship, it's just…

Kellogg:
And do you have a system for sort of tracking that like, Oh, I emailed this person three months ago, it's time to it again.

Stubbs:
Yes I do. I have a note on every single one of my 2000 contacts. I have a notes page on every little piece of correspondence, details about them.

Kellogg:
How do you-- how often do you think you touch on each of those contacts?

Stubbs:
It'll never be more than three months unless one of the contacts is something like a venue which, I suppose, is different. You know, you talk to the venues you play at all the time, but I still stay in touch with them because I'd like to play again and like they call venues, you know? But yeah, I would say that it's never more than three months, otherwise they don't remain on that contact list because I'm obviously not-- it's no longer a relevant relationship.

Kellogg:
How many emails do you think you send a day?

Stubbs:
Well, I would say that some are busier than others, not every day to say that very different. Some emails are like really important and high level, right? So like they require time spent on them. So there'll be one day where maybe 2 hours is spent on an email, if it’s that important, right? But then on another day I've definitely sent like 1500 in a day. 

Kellogg:
When you reach out to the people in your network, what are the kinds of things you're trying to keep them apprised of?

Stubbs:
Sure. So the podcast. Whenever I do a new podcast, I will send it to people personally as well as posting about it on my social media. I'll send it because I genuinely think they might enjoy it, but of course I want people to be aware of the thing that I've just made, and the podcast itself will often feature all the things I'm doing in my career, so it's all useful and all feeds back into the same thing, right? So that.

And then it will be about concerts because I want people to know I'm performing and where they are or will be reaching out for concerts or it will be talking to managers or it will be talking to my entertainment lawyer about various things that are going on my career and managing, you know, contracts have to be made and signed and dealt with.

And then when it comes to Cayman: investors and keeping them afloat for how it's going and what we're planning to do, speaking to different members of the government, different ministries, Ministry of Culture, Department of Tourism, and then the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, for example. And I actually-- they are part of the festival, but I also volunteer and help rebuild the coral reefs, too. So of that going on. And then I’ll be corresponding about an album I'm putting out or corresponding to get or to partake in interviews and press and radio and things like that. So like it's a lot of things.

So, I will work through the cycle in completely different ways. Sometimes they'll tie in, but sometimes they won't. It’ not appropriate for each person, which is exactly why I don't have a mailing list, because a certain people that don't need to know certain things and certain people that would really benefit from knowing certain things. And so there is no other way that I’ve found that’s effective and personal other than to just go through every single person every time.

Kellogg:
Wow. That's very-- it's a very impressive approach that you have.

Stubbs:
Thank you. Well, life's about relationships. Isn't it? So...

Kellogg:
When you have an upcoming concert in a city or a location that maybe you haven't been in a couple of years, how many people do y-- are you reaching out in that area to encourage them to come to your concert?

Stubbs:
Every single person.

Kellogg:
...that you've ever met in that area?

Stubbs:
Absolutely. Yeah.

Kellogg:
And you found a way to sort of capture that information and keep it easily accessible for yourself?

Stubbs:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, in a way, I mean, I go through my contacts and I remind my-- and I will know where people are, come in contact with them regularly enough to know who's in New York and to know who's in ‘dadada’ so I don't have to do that kind of ground research. So I will go through and I'll know immediately who is where anyway, because I'm usually in touch with them.

Kellogg:
Can you talk about your approach to social media and how do you factor that into your overall plan of time?

Stubbs:
Well, social media is constantly changing, so I'm constantly learning and there is always so much to learn. And there's, I think definitely people that do it extremely well. I think that if it's where I want it to be, six stories a day as nice, a post every day is nice. But sometimes, you know, I also don't want it to be low quality content. And back to the point that we were just saying about emails, sometimes my day is just sitting and writing emails and how do you post about that? Which is why artist development time is really important because it allows you to inform people about other people's work, but also the things that are inspiring you and might inspire them. And it's keeping your friends at the forefront of other people's minds too, you know?

Kellogg:
So sometimes your post might even just be sharing something that you love that a friend is doing?

Stubbs:
Absolutely. Because why not?

Kellogg:
Sure. Why not? Absolutely. How-- So, how much time do you spend on social media?

Stubbs:
Still not enough. Nowhere near enough. But an hour minimum, I think, you have to spend it takes more time than it looks like it takes, you know, to get it exactly how you want it to be.

Kellogg:
And when you think about your social media, what are the benefits that you see from cultivating that presence?

Stubbs:
I think that people think I'm not doing anything if I don't tell them I'm doing it! And I feel like that constantly. I don't I mean, I don't I don't mean that entirely. Like, like I said, like, I love, love sharing something which has inspired or excited me. But often I am really, really, really, really busy.

And what that busy looks like is not postable, right? And so that's always a challenge to, to match the level of busy and allow people to see the kind of excitement and growth that you're creating in your career because you're actually doing it, and doing it doesn't look like the things that you're making, you know.

Kellogg:
Could you define career maintenance for us?

Stubbs:
Yeah. Keep your website up to date, keeping your socials up to date and making sure that your LinkedIn bio, for example, your blog on your website, all of-- the every place that people could possibly need to find the latest information on what you have been doing is up to date and well-managed so that people can report effectively, that it makes it easier for concert organizers, right? It makes it easier for everybody if you've done that work first. And it means that you're happier with what they print if you haven't had the chance to proof it, which are often not given, right?

Kellogg:
So is that something you build into your schedule every week, every month?

Stubbs:
Every week. I'll spend an hour on it because you just have to.

Kellogg:
How do you plan your week?

Stubbs:
So the week before I'll be not only doing the meetings, and everything that has to be done in that place, but I'll be lining up the week, at which, will usually be in a different location, the following week. And then while I'm in that place, I'll be doing those, but also lining up the following location, the following week.

Kellogg:
Getting all of your appointments sorted out?

Stubbs:
Exactly. Exactly. But I really don't know whether I'm going to be available for something personal, for example, until the very last minute, because I don't factor those into my, into my schedule.

Kellogg:
Personal meaning, just social?

Stubbs:
Social or holiday or whatever, like, I won't know, until the last-- because, I will utilize every possible opportunity that might happen and want to be available to do them and will sometimes, often not know until the very last minute, and I'll be like, No, I'm going to play a concert or No, I'm going to be doing this, or whatever it is. Or this meeting's been offered and I've been working on trying to get that for nine months and I'm going to that! So I don't book any personal time.

Kellogg:
What's the best part of that life and what's the worst part of that life?

Stubbs:
The best part is that I constantly feel like my brain is going to explode with the amount I'm learning, and I'm so grateful and fulfilled by that. That's the most exciting thing on Earth to me.

Kellogg:
What's the worst part?

Stubbs:
I can't plan anything personal, like I said, really. Like, I can't say, Oh, I'm definitely going to be at this wedding or I'm definitely... like, I can never say that. And I know that. And you know, that, but that is, that is the life I've chosen and I wouldn't change it.

Kellogg:
The life that you've described sounds like there's a lot that's unpredictable. And some sometimes things are not going to go as planned. How have you adjusted when, when surprises happened?

Stubbs:
I think you have to forgive the accident and learn the lesson, right? If it's something that's been overlooked, then strategize for that to not happen again. But if it's, will you perform tonight? And you like, Well, I haven't practiced in a week, there’s the lesson, right? You have to be practicing no matter what. And th-- and because you need to be available for the day that happens, and they do happen. So it's worth it.

Kellogg:
If you could sit down with your student self and give some advice about how a career unfolds and where to spend your time, what would you say? 

Stubbs:
I'd say, Say yes to absolutely every meeting, engagement you're invited to go to say yes, always say yes. Turn up to everything. Be the person that's always there, not only to see your colleagues, but to-- whatever... Chase every opportunity. Be active, don't be lazy, be out all the time. You don't need to be at home. You go the rest of your life to do that. Be out and maximize every, every chance that that you possibly can.

Kellogg:
When I think about all of the activities that go into creating and carrying on the life that you have in the arts, the amount of time and even sort of mental bandwidth they all require must be quite different. Can you tell us about how you look after your own wellbeing?

Stubbs:
Yeah. So fitness is very important to me. So I do my HITT training, I do cold water swimming. I'm also a free diver and scuba dive master. All of that stuff I do to look after my mental health. I really love it. I actually learned to dive when I went to L.A. for the first time to go and give a concert at LACMA and then went to Catalina Island and learned to dive and then discovered I adored it. And it became a huge part of my life and now have it in two of the places that I'm based. I'm able to dive. So that's kind of amazing. And then nutrition, like it's hard when you're traveling, really hard, but you know, as, as much as I possibly can be, try to be really mindful about supporting myself as best I can in the way that I eat. And a lot of a lot of our networking are drinks events, right? So you've got to counterbalance that. That's good diet and exercise and everything else.

And I think therapy is important for everybody. I think everybody can dip in and out and find it beneficial. It's like a gym for the mind, right? And if you're not able to do that, then journaling is quite helpful to you. So like if you're on a plane and you want to clear your mind for you're arriving in the next place, you're going to do a concert, whatever it is that you're going to write helps to empty yourself before you're going to go in and perform, I think anyway.

Kellogg:
As a classical pianist that regularly works with artists outside of the classical music world, what do you wish that classical musicians understood about career or career development?

Stubbs:
That there has to be an authentic you. Without an authentic you, you've got nothing to sell. So build you in the most 3D and all-encompassing way that engages with the rest of the world, that you can. Because there's many people that play an instrument, and if you are your most authentic, which is such an overused word, but there can't be authentic you if you don't build that person whilst you're young and learning and absorbing and have the opportunity to do that and then that you nobody else can ever be, and that makes you your strongest to go out into the world and have a career.

I think-- just as an extension of what I was saying about was showing up for things, you know, Make sure that you have hobbies outside of music. I think that's quite important.

Kellogg:
I imagine you must have a life outside of music because you've found a way to make this all sustainable. So how do you find balance with things that are not music?

Stubbs:
For me, the thing that I that that is that is my total opposite world that I really love is the ocean and nature and my diving (my free diving, my scuba diving) and the, the ocean for me is that balance. And it's, and when I found it as a sort of resource - I think it was 2016 when I went to the Arctic to swim with Orca doing a herring migration research trip - and I had no idea that this incredible thing was there for us, right? And the moment that I saw that and realized how much it helped me sustain everything else and sustain myself, it's been the most incredible balance in addition to my life, and it would be different for different people. But that that really helped me so much.

Kellogg:
With all the activities you're involved with, you must have a team of people that support you and work with you in different ways.

Stubbs:
Absolutely.

Kellogg:
Who’s on your team?

Stubbs:
My entertainment lawyer is, I think, my most important part of my team, because he is so brilliant with all of my other relationships. Everybody loves him. And of course he's brilliant lawyer as well. But he is the most important because-- and he's a great extension of what I do and I could couldn't live without him. He's based in Nashville right now, but, amazing. If anyone needs an entertainment lawyer!

Kellogg:
Does he function sort of as a manager? I mean, do you have a manager?

Stubbs:
He, he does, he does kind of function as a manager. He doesn't function as a booking agent, right? And I still do all of that work, really. But yeah, he's the sort of number one sort of support. And then I have someone that does PR as well, but on an ad hoc basis, so--

Kellogg:
Project basis?

Stubbs:
Yeah. And so my team can expand to like 40 people at some times or it will just be like me and Wayne and a couple of other people.

Kellogg:
As somebody that spends a lot of time thinking about sort of personal growth and development, what are the things you're hoping to learn in the next year?

Stubbs:
I want to learn so much. I want to read so watch. I want to listen to so much. I want to see so much. I’m constantly thinking about how many books I haven't read and it worries me, you know? That's, yeah, just being able to absorb all the incredible things the world has to offer, really, and see as much of nature as I possibly can in the world.

Kellogg:
Where can people learn more about you and find out your performing schedule?

Stubbs:
Yeah, Instagram's quite a good place, and so it's @harriet.stubbs and also emailing me and then coming apart of my communication. I'm always happy to have you there, at harrietstubbs.com and I will stay in touch with you about what I'm up to and yeah.

Kellogg:
Well, thank you so much.

Stubbs:
Thank you very much for having me.