We're all asked what we want to be when we grow up, but it's hard to answer that question if we don't know exactly what our career aspirations entail. What does it take to be a financial guru? How do organizers organize? What does it really mean to be a political aide? To give you some insight into the ways your idols and peers get the job done, our series The Hustle will take you behind the scenes of different careers to give you an idea of what it's actually like to have your dream job.

It’s a tough time to be in journalism. Revenue sources are dwindling and new layoffs seem to be announced every day — and the COVID-19 pandemic sent another shockwave through the industry. That’s where Nastaran Mohit comes in. As organizing director of the NewsGuild of New York, Mohit works to unionize the staff at newspapers, magazines and online publications, so that reporters, editors and social media staff have access to the benefits and protections they so sorely need. The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America, represents more than 24,000 journalists and other media workers across the U.S. and Canada. Mohit has led successful campaigns to unionize publications including The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine and BuzzFeed. Here’s a window into the life of a busy union organizer.

7:45 a.m. Alarm goes off. I’m waking up later than I was before the pandemic, and grateful for the extra sleep. If I don’t get up on my own, my two pitbulls, Thor and Mingus, jump on the bed and lick me to death until I wake up, walk them and feed them. I make coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, flax and vegan protein powder. I drink a big glass of water, and take all my vitamins.

8:00 a.m. Open my laptop and catch up on the news. There’s so much COVID-19 information to digest, on top of all of the news happening across the media industry, the broader economy and the labor movement. Nearly 33,000 workers at U.S. news companies have been laid off, furloughed or had their pay reduced since the crisis began, despite the fact that Americans are turning to local, regional and national news in record numbers for life-saving information. Who is going to hold our city, state and federal government’s accountable during this unprecedented time, if journalists aren't able to do this essential work?

Then I turn to what I need to do to get up to speed for the day: following up with each of my organizing campaigns to make sure meetings are scheduled, assignments have been completed, and things are running smoothly and on schedule. I jump back and forth between spreadsheets, docs and multiple campaign chats on Signal, WhatsApp, and Slack.

8:45 a.m. One more cup of coffee, and then I get my workout in. I’ve always been somewhat of a fitness junkie, but it’s been really hard to focus on anything workout-related in the middle of this crisis. I force myself to get a 30-minute kettlebell circuit in, and feel a thousand times better afterwards. It clears my head and gets me focused for the day.

9:15 a.m. Make a shower and make breakfast for hubby and my step-kids (very hungry 12- and 15-year old boys). They’re home-schooling like everyone else, and have been doing their best to adjust. Breakfast is a time for us to all be together as a family before we hole up in our respective corners of the apartment for the day. I head to my “quarantine office,” our bedroom.