The List: ‘Failing to plan is...’

At the top of my list this week is ironically my list that I make each week of stories.

For once this week I’m working ahead and have several interviews lined up for next week’s edition. That’s, of course, barring breaking news that happens.

I had a middle school teacher who always said the famous Benjamin Franklin quote, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Unfortunately with the endless technology we have at our fingertips today, it seems we maybe don’t use our brains as much as we should. That’s what I found anyway. Really my only New Years resolution this year was that I wanted to start actually writing appointments down in a planner.

I shopped far and wide for a planner, and I found the right one for me. It’s got a monthly view and a weekly view. It needed enough room for multiple appointments a day and room for me to take notes, like for the sermon in church Sundays or if I forget my other notebook for an interview. This one checked all the boxes.

You see, previously, I had just relied on my smart phone. You put the appointment in and it dings at you when there’s 15 minutes left before your appointment. It works until you get wrapped up in something else and miss the appointment just in the 15 minutes after the warning ding. Silly me.

It turns out that pen and paper are good, after all. I had a previous boss who forced me to take notes during phone calls from coaches instead of record them. I’m thankful he did that.

Maybe the technology we rely on isn’t so good for us after all. I’m finding I’m remembering things way better and staying in the moment mentally rather than scatterbrained. Turns out you can teach a new dog old tricks. I hope I’m not an old dog yet, anyway.

I say all this to say that I’m pleased to see the steps Greenfield is taking in the rhythms of their hiring. I think a city clerk with 20 years of experience is a great thing for our town and our area. She will likely be on the ball for a lot of the things the city needs to do.

Another thing Mayor Jimmie Schultz has spoken to me about is finding employees with experience who can train the next generation when it’s their time to step aside. In some cases, the city is hiring younger folks who can hopefully move up someday to those managerial positions.

There’s a reason our windshield is bigger than our rear-view mirror. It’s good to plan because failing to plan is planning to fail.