Professional Safety - December 2025
By: Shawn M. Galloway
Printable Version
It's all too easy to become consumed by the immediate demands and pressing priorities and ignore the difficult but important to solve. Amid the hustle and bustle, there exists a valuable concept that holds immense potential — the "Someday File."
The "Someday File" is a designated space where invaluable ideas, unresolved issues, and tantalizing possibilities are carefully preserved, awaiting the opportunity to blossom and contribute to future successes. Perhaps a future new employee will have an idea learned while with a previous employer who struggled with a similar issue. Perhaps as thinking and technology mature, the impossible today becomes possible tomorrow. Perhaps not today is the right answer, but never to deal with the issue is not.
The "Someday File" started as a physical folder curated in a file cabinet at the first client to use this idea years ago and has evolved into an electronic shared folder. It remains a game-changer in fostering innovation, problem-solving, and personal growth and an idea we should all leverage. This article explores why.
Cultivating Innovation and Creativity:
The "Someday File" serves as a sanctuary for creativity and innovation and provides a safe haven for ideas that may not be immediately actionable but possess the seeds of future breakthroughs. By intentionally setting aside these nascent concepts, individuals and organizations can cultivate a culture that encourages bold ideation and unconventional thinking. It's a breeding ground for the unconventional, the untested, and the visionary – where wild, unrefined ideas patiently await their moment to revolutionize the status quo.
Nurturing Strategic Thinking: The "Someday File" can serve as a strategic arsenal. By stashing away issues that pose complex challenges or may require unconventional solutions, individuals and teams can revisit these matters with fresh perspectives, enhanced resources, or evolved circumstances. This deliberate approach to storing unresolved issues acknowledges the dynamic nature of problems and the value of patience in seeking optimal solutions. Given the nurturing space of this approach, what may seem insurmountable today could transform into an opportunity tomorrow.
Embracing Growth and Adaptation: Personal and professional growth often hinges on the ability to adapt, evolve, overcome, or capitalize on changing circumstances. The "Someday File" embodies this principle by embodying the belief that some challenges may not be ripe for resolution today but might be perfectly suited for resolution in the future. It encourages individuals to embrace a long-term outlook, nurturing a mindset that embraces growth, adaptation, and the transformative power of time.
Fostering Resilience and Patience: The ability to exercise patience and resilience is a virtue. The "Someday File" is a testament to this, highlighting the importance of acknowledging that not all problems can be solved instantly, nor should they be rushed and few workers appreciate knee-jerk reactions. By designating a specific space for unresolved matters, individuals and organizations can cultivate the discipline of patience, knowing that some of the most valuable solutions take time to materialize.
Leveraging Collective Wisdom: One of the most significant benefits of the "Someday File" is its ability to harness collective wisdom. This repository acts as a lighthouse where diverse minds can contribute unique experiences and insights. When individuals—whether new employees, seasoned veterans, or external collaborators—bring fresh perspectives, the "Someday File" becomes a melting pot of ideas. Sharing access to this file electronically allows for collaboration across different departments and even across geographies. By drawing upon a diverse array of experiences and expertise, organizations can uncover innovative solutions that might otherwise have been overlooked.
Improving Decision-Making Processes: The "Someday File" facilitates improved decision-making by offering a comprehensive overview of previously considered ideas and unresolved issues. This historical context can provide valuable insights when making strategic decisions, helping to prevent reinvention of the wheel or the recurrence of familiar challenges. By reviewing past considerations, decision-makers can better align future actions with organizational goals, ensuring that decisions are informed by past learnings and are strategically sound.
Facilitating Organizational Learning: Beyond immediate problem-solving, the "Someday File" also serves as an important tool for organizational learning. As ideas are revisited and solutions are implemented, the file acts as a record of evolution and progress. It captures the journey of ideas from raw concepts to refined solutions. This continuous learning process not only contributes to organizational intelligence but also enhances the capabilities of individuals, empowering them to apply lessons learned to future challenges.
Encouraging Psychological Safety: The nature of the "Someday File" encourages individuals to propose ambitious ideas without fear of immediate scrutiny or rejection. This fosters a culture of speaking up wherein unconventional ideas receive the consideration they might not otherwise get in a more risk-averse environment. By ensuring that bold ideas are preserved and eventually evaluated, organizations cultivate a culture that values innovation and the pursuit of excellence.
Enabling Resource Optimization: By deferring certain ideas and problems until resources or conditions are more favorable, organizations can effectively optimize their resources. The "Someday File" acts as a queue, ensuring that efforts are focused when they can have the most impact. This strategic allocation of resources prevents inefficiencies and allows for more deliberate and thoughtful engagement with complex issues.
Re-evaluating Priorities: The presence of a "Someday File" prompts regular re-evaluation of priorities. Over time, as circumstances change and new challenges emerge, priorities must also shift. The "Someday File" ensures that previously set-aside issues and ideas are periodically re-examined in the light of current demands and opportunities. This ongoing practice helps organizations stay agile and responsive, ready to capitalize on emerging opportunities and address evolving challenges.
The "Someday File" is far more than just a repository for postponed ideas and unresolved issues; it symbolizes the virtues of patience, resilience, and steadfast optimism about the future. This file is a wellspring of untapped possibilities, fostering an environment rich in creativity and innovation. By integrating the practice of maintaining a "Someday File" into both personal and professional spheres, individuals and organizations can unlock transformative results, igniting fresh ideas, breakthrough solutions, and a forward-thinking mindset that embraces limitless opportunities.
As a concept, the "Someday File" transcends its role as a simple collection of deferred thoughts. It stands as a strategic tool that stimulates innovation, encourages collaboration, improves decision-making, and fuels organizational growth. By committing to the establishment and maintenance of a "Someday File," you not only safeguard potential solutions but also cultivate a culture of continuous readiness and dynamic innovation. Incorporating this practice into daily routines ensures that you face the future with confidence, drawing from a reservoir of actionable ideas and collective insight to realize them. Start today, and embark on a journey toward transformational potential, for "someday" often arrives sooner than expected.
Shawn Galloway, CEO of ProAct Safety, is an expert in safety excellence. With almost thirty years of experience, he is a highly sought-after advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness. Shawn has become a trusted partner to leading organizations across various industries worldwide. He ranks in the top 1% of the most prolific writers in his field, having authored over 500 articles and several bestselling books. He also launched the world's first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence©. As a recognized authority in safety, Shawn has received awards such as being named among the Top 50 People Who Most Influence EHS and a Top 10 Speaker, among others.
He is a regular guest on Bloomberg, Fox News, The Daily Mail, Dubai One, U.S. News & World Report, Sirius Business Radio, Wharton Business Daily, and leading safety magazines and podcasts. Shawn also serves as a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, Forbes Business Council, and Fast Company Executive Board, enabling his influence to shape safety thinking and strategy at the executive level.
