When it comes to email, whether you use an online provider (i.e. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) or a traditional POP client, storage is virtually unlimited. With this being the case, many believe you have no reason to ever delete an email. While I can certainly understand the logic, I have rethought this over the past few months and I now ask myself a couple of questions which determines the proverbial fate of an email.
- Is it something I want to appear in a search result when I query my email?
- Is it important to where I may need the email in question to "prove" something?
If I answer no to both of these, I trash the email. I came to this realization after trying to dig up an email from a couple of years ago and while searching I had to wade through several pages of messages which were complete junk (i.e. old newsletters and conversations from 5 years ago which I never would need to look at again).
To me, the case for archiving over deleting is simply answered by "will I ever need to see this again?" and if I know there is absolutely no way I will, into the trash it goes. If it turns out I do need the message, I still have a month to change my mind before it is gone forever.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you keep everything regardless or do you have some other methodology for determining what stays and what goes?
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I used to save EVERYTHING. I made folders in outlook and filed things away religiously.
Now, I’m a little more heavy handed with the delete button, but I still save 70% of my emails out of a packrat mentality. Luckily this habbit does not spill over into my non-virtual life.
Usaually i delete my messages not of used but if i found that it may be useful at any point of time then i keep them in my folders.